Joint memorandum submitted by Keep it
Real and Highway Youth Club
Reasons why individuals carry and use knives
1. Knives are the cheapest form of weaponry
that can be obtained by violent people, in particular teenagers.
Many teenagers find themselves carrying knives as a result of
being victims of knife crime or serious violence. There has been
an increasing need for young people to join gangs to feel safe
after having feuds with others for protection, and members often
carry weapons in order to be prepared to back fellow gang members
as well as them selves. Because of their violent behaviour society
looks down on such youths, and isolate them. This in turn damages
their self worth and they feel that they ought to stay in their
gangs to retain a feeling of acceptance. Without any self-worth
their life and any other person's life for that matter eventually
means nothing to them, and so if they fall into a dispute, they
do not care about what that means for their self of the victim.
What can be done to prevent knife crime?
2. These are the comments that some youth
members of the Highway Youth club, who have been witnessed knife
crime, had to say about the prevention of knife crime.
3. Shantel—I think people who have
knives carry them in order to protect themselves. It can be reduced
with the stop and search technique.
4. Annette—random road searches and
random school, college and Sixth form school/colleges searches.
5. Priscilla—They have to hunt down
the people who are manufacturing the equipment for these people
that are using them.
6. Rebecca—I believe that the stop
and search method is good and can help, but I think it should
be carried out in a more intensive method, to the extent that
those who use knives will feel intimidated to even leave their
homes carrying such equipment.
7. Imposing certain conditions on such youths,
such as making sure they are not on the streets without an adult
after 9.00 pm, if under a certain age.
8. Implementing and introducing more youth
clubs, especially in areas where knife crime is very high. These
youth clubs should have activities that attract such teenagers
so that they get away from knife crime and do things that interest
them, as it is believed that teenagers who are in gang and carry
knives are often bored or that they have unhappy lives at home
ie victims of abuse, alcoholic parents' etc.
How to ensure that those convicted of knife crime
are properly convicted
9. Courts must consider the circumstances
objectively. The type of sentences should look to rehabilitate
offenders rather than to just punish them, eg help putting self
worth back into knife carriers, find the cause or root of the
problem by appointing social workers to individuals or groups.
10. The Crown Prosecution Service has an
important role to play, and have to have to follow strict procedural
rules. It appears that they are not concerned as much, this could
be due to the overcrowding in prisons and therefore, some cases
involving knife crime are not filed.
11. Appointing an enforcement officer or
someone to make sure that those convicted are being punished appropriately
or if required to see a social worker or attend counselling sessions
to deal with any psychological or emotional problems they may
be dealing with, the enforcement officer should ensure that they
are attending, and for example if they miss three, they would
be made to go to court for sentencing.
12. Have regular short and easy to read
reports being written for the public on how offenders are being
convicted, so that the public and other knife carriers are aware
of it.
13. Have public trials so people can see
for themselves how the matters are being solved no matter how
young the defendants are.
14. Creating a social stigma can deter people
from wanting to getting caught with knives.
October 2008
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