Another pointless knife crime death

Poor girl

There was a stabbing/murder in a park just a few miles from me a couple of months ago, also a young person was a perpetrator. It is an awful situation we are in

nanna8

It is illegal to carry any knives in public places except short penknives in my country. Why doesn't the UK do the same?
You'll still get the crime but at least it is less likely.

It is illegal to carry knives in the U.K. unfortunately the police have their hands tied regarding stop and search.

Where are the parents - who do not know their offspring are going about with knives?

It is illegal to carry any knives in public places except short penknives in my country. Why doesn't the UK do the same?
You'll still get the crime but at least it is less likely.

Agree 100% with sky dancers comments. Until we have stricter punishments those carrying knives will continue to do so. My heart went out for that young girls family. Two young lives ruined but the boy should be severely punished

It seems the majority of young people/children caught up in knife crime are from ‘difficult’ backgrounds. Many attend pupil referral units.
BevSec it’s not easy, it’s necessary to acknowledge the devastating impact of Tory policies on society. Youth services, family support, substance misuse teams, probation, criminal justice, children’s services, mental health support , police community teams, all police teams, nhs, the list is endless. We didn’t need austerity. We are living with its negative impact

I just don’t understand why ppl seem to think that they need to carry a weapon in the first place. One split second and two families are ruined. When we were kids if you had an issue with someone you neither shouted it out or punched it out but at least most of the time you walked away. How do the parents not know that they kids have 30 inch knives in their possession and walking streets.

I wonder what parent(s) this boy murderer has? She/he/they may be truly frightened of the boy herself/himself/themselves. A boy of 17 can seem very intimidating, including to parent(s).
Perhaps the parent(s) tried to stop him carrying a knife, but what could they actually have done?
I hope DH and I would have found ourselves able to call the police if a child of ours had been carrying a knife.

Easy to blame the tories!

Gundy

Joseann I’ve always felt that violent video games are the start of a young male’s spiral into an abyss, add to that online porn (that anyone can access), throw in social media that spouts hateful rhetoric and misinformation, (in America) Get a Gun to make them feel macho, perhaps an unstable home life/poor parenting… we’re in a heap of trouble.

Mental health issues/anxiety is rampant for young people (both sexes!) here, with scant help due to govt funding issues. This is our future generation - so frail, so sad.
USA Gundy

I agree that the whole world of 'media' (games, movies, internet, TV) is awash with hard core violence and torture. It is sickening. Too many youngsters are seeing this stuff even at primary school age when their brains are developing. They are forming new neutral pathways in their heads based around all this violent imagery. Is it therefore any surprise their online world overlaps into their real world. What goes into their heads also comes out.

I'm not saying this applies to every young person, but some youngsters are playing violent video games for hours every day. This means they fail to learn any social skills or how to deal with real people. It's all so tragic.

The assailant will be treated as a child within the legal system. As a child is involved why are the responsible adults not charged too. They have a responsibility to ensure a child behaves appropriately. Sadly, too many adults just shirk their responsibility and young people know they will be dealt with leniently no matter what they do.

What’s wrong with the term low life. That’s what he is!
We’re alway making excuses and we shouldn’t be! Excuses such as deprived childhood etc.?!
Sorry it doesn’t wash with me.
A lot of children in 50’s/60’s were ‘deprived’ but it didn’t make them turn to crime
. We need tougher sentencing no matter what their age too!!
They are responsible for their actions

Joseann I’ve always felt that violent video games are the start of a young male’s spiral into an abyss, add to that online porn (that anyone can access), throw in social media that spouts hateful rhetoric and misinformation, (in America) Get a Gun to make them feel macho, perhaps an unstable home life/poor parenting… we’re in a heap of trouble.

Mental health issues/anxiety is rampant for young people (both sexes!) here, with scant help due to govt funding issues. This is our future generation - so frail, so sad.
USA Gundy

Cambsnan

We don’t know. Community workers say they carry knifes to feel safe. I feel so sorry for them all, the young man and his family as well. Lots of lives ruined in a moment. Young male brains don’t have the capacity to do a risk assessment.

To feel safe? But it's only boys who carry them. Girls face threats all the time but they don't tend to carry knives. Boys need some serious re-calibration.

We don’t know. Community workers say they carry knifes to feel safe. I feel so sorry for them all, the young man and his family as well. Lots of lives ruined in a moment. Young male brains don’t have the capacity to do a risk assessment.

Stop and Search would certainly be part of the answer, but as you say eazybee, there would be howls of protest, including on Gransnet. If the police don’t search, they can’t possibly know if people are carrying a knife until the knife has been used, and then it’s too late. And because they can’t search every single person they have to target the demographic most likely to be carrying a knife. And then there’d be more howls of protest.

I believe a young man was knifed to death yesterday in Luton, and two more injured today, I didn't catch where.

There is no solution but absolute zero tolerance of carrying a knife, any age, and Stop and Search everywhere, no matter the howls of protest it will provoke.
The BME marches and protests were against the police, not knife crime.

Wishing that people, old or young, should stop carrying knives is no good at all, although I understand the sentiment.

What is needed is a law making it illegal. It is actually illegal where I live to carry a knive unless you have a hunter's licence and are actually going hunting, a craftsman whose craft necessitates the use of knives and are at work or going or coming from work, a serviceman or woman in uniform or a boy scout or girl guide in uniform, or a licensed angler out fishing.

And, of course, the law needs to be enforced and punishment suitable. Carrying a knife illegally leads to a fine and confiscation of the knife the first time you are caught. If you do it more than once the fine is increased, or you may be sent to prison.

Inflicting grevious bodily harm, or killing someone is treated as these crimes always are, which means prison for at least 12 years for murder or culpable homicide, and only slightly less for manslaughter.

As youngsters are apparently bringing knives with them to school, both teachers and janitors need to be authorised to search school-bags before pupils are allowed into the school grounds. This would entail employing trained security officers to do the job, but if it saves lives the expense is justified.

It's time these thugs were named and shamed. If they think they are old enough to carry a weapon and use it then they are not children and should not be treated as such.

My son and his family live in Croydon and twice my youngest grandson has been mugged at knife point. The police did nothing even though we found out where his debit card was used. He has now gone to Uni and I am pleased to see him out of that area. Sadiq Khan had a nerve going to the spot where the girl was killed, he has done absolutely nothing to stop knife crime in London.

When a black man was killed in America we had BLM marches and protests here in U.K.

There has been nothing for the young black children and youngsters murdered on U.K. streets.

I can echo all these sentiments, but where were the boy's
parents?
Did they know he had a knife?
If not, why not?
And if they did know, why did they not take it from him, or seek help?
Maybe there should be a lot more emphasis on parents, and their responsibilities. and more support for those who cannot cope.

I just despair when I hear of yet another knifing- lives, families, communities, in pain.
I sort of understand why young people carry knives if they're afraid thst their life is at risk but how to stop it and help them see that carrying a knife is no deterrent at all. Because it's then all too easy for them to use it themselves.

I wonder whether there might also, these days, be a correlation between exposure to violent video games and adolescent aggression? Depending of course on the child's background.

This is a dreadful tragic incident. I heard on the radio news that the 17 year old was attending a pupil referral centre. It was claimed that a majority of those involved in knife crime were at pupil referral units. The impact of so called austerity on youth and mental health services is becoming increasingly clear.