Britain grapples with surge of knife attacks

LONDON - Britain is struggling to get to grips with a surge of fatal knife attacks, which analysts say reflects a growing sense of insecurity on the country's streets.

While some say young people are increasingly carrying knives as a

fashion item, others say it is simply because they are scared of

being attacked and so make sure they are armed.

On Friday police confirmed the death of an 18-year-old in south

London, the 21st teenager to die of violence in the British capital

this year, amid wider concerns about anti-social behaviour among

young people on the streets.

 

That came after nine people were killed across the country the

previous week, including six in only 24 hours.

 

"We have seen the emergence of a worrying trend in relation to

knife crime," said Scotland Yard's Deputy Assistant Commissioner

Alf Hitchcock.

 

"We see both an intensification in the severity of offending,

and a worrying change in the age profile of offenders and victims,

which has decreased from mid- to late-teens to early 20s down to

early to mid-teens," he added.

 

Analysts say young people appear to be increasingly worried

about their own safety, although Home Office statistics released on

Thursday showed a nine per cent fall in overall crime in England

and Wales in the year to March 2008.

 

"They fear they're going to be attacked themselves," said

Professor Gloria Laycock, from the Jill Dando Institute of Crime

Science, named after a well-known BBC television presenter who was

shot dead on her doorstep in 1999.

 

"I don't think it's got anything to do with some fundamental

social cause like the economy, or poor parenting or anything like

that, because it's happened too quickly," she added.

 

According to a 2006 study compiled for the Home Office, 85 per

cent of young people who had carried a knife said they did so to

protect themselves, while 42 per cent of young victims of assault

went on to commit an attack themselves.

 

The most recent crime statistics showed there were 22 151

recorded offences involving knives last year.

 

The highest number - 7 409 - was in London.

 

"They feel they need to have a weapon for their own

protection.

 

I think that's really the problem," said Professor Douglas

Sharp, head of the Centre for Criminal Justice Policy and Research

at Birmingham City University.

 

"Young people think that life in their particular locality is so

dangerous, that there's so much threat around, that when they get

into confrontations they expect to be subject of some violence," he

added.

 

But Sharp, a former senior police officer himself, said: "Most

of this violence going on is not related to other criminality, is

not related to fights over drug territory or anything like

that.

 

"It's to do with fairly mundane disagreements that just get out

of hand very quickly."

 

Another new trend is that recent killings have taken place in

public places in busy city centres, outside bars and clubs, as

opposed to previously where attacks were more usually the result of

domestic disputes.

 

"This is relatively new.

 

Certainly in the scale we are seeing this at the moment," said

Laycock.

 

"I think it's because it's become a kind of fashion thing.

 

Young people have got this into their head that it's more trendy

to have a knife and so they're doing that," she added.

 

"It has to do with their image, rather than anything more

fundamental than that."

 

This theory would seem to be backed up by media reports, which

have included photos taken from social networking sites showing

young people proudly wielding knives and even machetes.

 

But not everyone is convinced that carrying knives is simply to

be trendy.

 

"I don't agree that it's a fashion," said Roger Grimshaw, of the

Centre for Crime and Justice Studies at King's College, London.

 

Research showed that young people are "more likely to have been

victimised and to fear being attacked.

 

So it's...

 

not a trend.

 

If they feel threatened, they try to reduce the fear by becoming

threatening themselves."

 

Nampa-AFP

 

On Friday police confirmed the death of an 18-year-old in south

London, the 21st teenager to die of violence in the British capital

this year, amid wider concerns about anti-social behaviour among

young people on the streets.That came after nine people were killed

across the country the previous week, including six in only 24

hours."We have seen the emergence of a worrying trend in relation

to knife crime," said Scotland Yard's Deputy Assistant Commissioner

Alf Hitchcock."We see both an intensification in the severity of

offending, and a worrying change in the age profile of offenders

and victims, which has decreased from mid- to late-teens to early

20s down to early to mid-teens," he added.Analysts say young people

appear to be increasingly worried about their own safety, although

Home Office statistics released on Thursday showed a nine per cent

fall in overall crime in England and Wales in the year to March

2008."They fear they're going to be attacked themselves," said

Professor Gloria Laycock, from the Jill Dando Institute of Crime

Science, named after a well-known BBC television presenter who was

shot dead on her doorstep in 1999."I don't think it's got anything

to do with some fundamental social cause like the economy, or poor

parenting or anything like that, because it's happened too

quickly," she added.According to a 2006 study compiled for the Home

Office, 85 per cent of young people who had carried a knife said

they did so to protect themselves, while 42 per cent of young

victims of assault went on to commit an attack themselves.The most

recent crime statistics showed there were 22 151 recorded offences

involving knives last year.The highest number - 7 409 - was in

London."They feel they need to have a weapon for their own

protection.I think that's really the problem," said Professor

Douglas Sharp, head of the Centre for Criminal Justice Policy and

Research at Birmingham City University."Young people think that

life in their particular locality is so dangerous, that there's so

much threat around, that when they get into confrontations they

expect to be subject of some violence," he added.But Sharp, a

former senior police officer himself, said: "Most of this violence

going on is not related to other criminality, is not related to

fights over drug territory or anything like that."It's to do with

fairly mundane disagreements that just get out of hand very

quickly."Another new trend is that recent killings have taken place

in public places in busy city centres, outside bars and clubs, as

opposed to previously where attacks were more usually the result of

domestic disputes."This is relatively new.Certainly in the scale we

are seeing this at the moment," said Laycock."I think it's because

it's become a kind of fashion thing.Young people have got this into

their head that it's more trendy to have a knife and so they're

doing that," she added."It has to do with their image, rather than

anything more fundamental than that."This theory would seem to be

backed up by media reports, which have included photos taken from

social networking sites showing young people proudly wielding

knives and even machetes.But not everyone is convinced that

carrying knives is simply to be trendy."I don't agree that it's a

fashion," said Roger Grimshaw, of the Centre for Crime and Justice

Studies at King's College, London.Research showed that young people

are "more likely to have been victimised and to fear being

attacked.So it's...not a trend.If they feel threatened, they try to

reduce the fear by becoming threatening themselves."Nampa-AFP

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