Memorandum submitted by The Children's
Society
As a leading children's charity committed to
making childhood better for all children in the UK we welcome
this opportunity to contribute to the discussion on knife crime,
particulalrly in relation to children and young people.
The Children's Society believes that the relationship
between young people and weapons is a very complex one. Research
is needed into why young people are choosing to equip themselves
with knives and other weapons. The possible causes emerging from
our research and direct practice with children and young people
are: the fear of crime and the need for protection, the distrust
in police and, in relation to black and minority ethnic communities,
previous experiences of racial discrimination or unfair targeting
by those in authority.
Thus, when we consulted with young people in
Torbay[15]
on their experiences of crime, 38% of children responded positively
to the question "Have you been a victim of crime and/or abuse
in the last 12 months". But 70% of those who responded positively
did not report the fact to police. The most commonly cited reason
for not going to police was "nothing the police can do/not
interested" and comments like "nothing ever happens
if you phone the police", "police don't do anything",
"cos the police are pathetic and I am not a grass".
These results in our opinion are reflective of the current climate
in the society in which children are perceived by adults as trouble-makers
and wrong-doers. It makes them less likely to report the crime,
more likely to be the victim of crime, and more likely to try
to protect themselves in some other way without the adults involvement.
Our research on the experience of black young
people in trouble with the law, called Just Justice,[16]
showed that young people in the study did not trust the authorities,
and particularly the police, to protect them. Young people in
the study overwhelmingly reported that they would rather turn
to their friends and family to help them when in need, and to
take justice into their own hands if crimes were committed against
them.
In many cases these comments were made after
they disclosed experiences of feeling targeted by police through
stops and searches or experiences of racial discrimination particularly
reported by young people in custody. With this letter we enclose
two parts of Just Justice research highlighting experiences of
policing and custody of black and minority ethnic young people.
The Children's Society would like to see a greater
focus on developing positive interventions that promote personal
safety and encourage youth participation, not exclusion, within
communities. We do not believe that separate focus on knife crime
will help solve the problem of increasing number of young people
carrying knives on its own. The causes of this behaviour must
be looked at in greater detail and in connection with other experiences
of violence (both at home and wider community), exclusion and
discrimination that many young people go through without appropriate
support available. Greater investment is needed in tackling root
causes by building relationships at both the community and family
level, with peer group support and the prevention of early victimisation.
October 2008
15 Fed Up With Being called A Yob? Young people's consultation
on crime and community safety in Torbay. September 2005 to March
2006. The Children's Society's Torbay Participation project. Back
16
The Children's Society, "Just Justice: A study into black
young people's experiences of the youth justice system".
March 2006. Back
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