The Urgent Problem of the Level of Knife Crime in London
London police are struggling to cope with the skyrocketing numbers of knife crime with 30-plus deaths this year, and a record breaking number of 135 deaths by stabbings in 2018. On February 19th, three teenagers were stabbed to death, the youngest being Jayden Moodie; only 14, 3 years younger than Nedim Belgin, and 5 years younger than Lajean Richards. Jayden being stabbed 7 times after being knocked off his moped by a Mercedes. Is it the lack of policing that is to blame? Or is the lack of funding by the state? How are police meant to even stop the violence if they were there ‘within seconds?’
Found with multiple stab wounds in his back in Waltham Forest, Jayden was still a schoolboy when he was murdered. This in turn raised issues on knife crime within educational institutions such as schools. To counter this, knife arches were implemented into London schools to detect any sharp objects that students are attempting to bring into them. This will increase the safety in schools and hopefully reduce knife crime within schools, as hundreds of sharp objects have been seized in the past 18 months by teachers; finding them in the possession of students attempting to bring them into their institution. Not only sharp knives are found; as many have stated “everything can be used as a weapon.”
The number of admissions to hospital for assault involving sharp objects has risen by 15% since just last year. This being said; surely that justifies the new right the metropolitan police force have to stop and search anyone without a reason to believe that they possess a weapon, or for any reason at all for that matter. These laws, however have geographical boundaries (are only in place in a certain radius) but they cover the most ‘hot’ areas for this violence. Although it hasn’t reduced the crime yet, it’s a start of a movement towards safety. A movement towards a much safer London.
But why does knife crime even take place in our Great Britain? Possibly because our Britain isn’t as great as the small percentage of the population sat up in their ivory towers attempt to make us believe it is. Much of the blame has been put on drill music influencing young males to get involved with this behaviour; but isn’t it just a way of trying to get out of that life? Of course, but that same small percentage can never seem to take the blame; and find it even harder NOT to blame those far, far below themselves.
