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Situation is desperate, admits Home Secretary
Nicholas Cecil, Political Correspondent3 Jun 2008
London is facing a "desperate and awful" wave of knife attacks, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said today.
The Minister also signalled the Government would give the police fresh resources if needed to tackle the spate of knifings across the capital.
She said: "I don't despair but of course it is desperate and it is awful when you see those sorts of events."
Mrs Smith insisted that the Government, police and prosecutors were "upping their game" to the growing knife threat. She stressed that 400 detecting wands and 100 arches were being deployed by officers.
"There will be a deterrent and it will help people to feel safer in the areas where they are," she said.
MPs are to discuss knife crime on Thursday in a special 90-minute topical debate. The Home Secretary insisted that action being taken already included putting pressure on courts to hand out tougher sentences for knife offences and teaching schoolchildren about the dangers of carrying a weapon.
Reader views (20)
This is all talk by useless impotent politicians who are gutless. Start by handing them 50 year sentences on the chain gang for murder and then watch the figures fall. If they don’t fall, who cares, just lock them up and work them hard and never mind trying to rehabilitate them because they won’t be coming out except in a box.
- Stephen D., London England., 04/06/2008 11:40
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There is no more knife crime than there was in the past; people are being duped by fear-mongering. This stinky government is fomenting fear, suspicion and mistrust in order to soften us up sufficiently to accept endless internment and martial law. It's very simple, and ruthlessly effective: scare the living daylights out of the public and they'll accept more loss of freedom and more nasty laws.
- Neil, london uk, Airstrip ONE ., 04/06/2008 09:47
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Only an extreme right wing government has any chance of sorting out this terrible legacy we've been left with!
- Steve, ex-london, 04/06/2008 09:35
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What deterrent? Instead of putting pressure on courts to hand out tougher sentences -instruct them to.
Labour are such a bunch of limp wrists it's untrue.
- Dave, london, 04/06/2008 09:24
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Detecting wands and arches are helping people feel safer? What are they, putting them up on street corners? The best crime deterrent is patrolling police officers, that's well known, but that would mean actually putting them officers out on the streets....
- Sven Norén, Uppsala, Sweden, 04/06/2008 08:51
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"upping their game"? Order Judges to "up their sentences"
When these scum are convicted - life should mean life.
Abolish the Human Rights Act and stop listening to the hand-wringing criminal loving liberal establishment...
- Lb, Bromley, 04/06/2008 03:37
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How about building a few prisons Jacqui?
- Oliver Chettle, Bedford, 03/06/2008 21:52
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Jails full, overcrowded sink estates, uncontrolled immigration, turf wars by foreigners who would fight each other for territory or nationality back home, no respect by the perps for any authority, complete incomprehension that their actions are in anyway wrong, dysfunctional families, benefit culture lifestyle, no future, alcohol & drug / crime get-rich-now environment, it's naff to be intelligent, cool to be bad.
Not really surprising that life is taken for a simple inappropriate comment or glance.
- Adam, Harrow, UK, 03/06/2008 20:56
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Clearly wimp decisions that when investigated were propagated for spin only as is the case with immigration policies is showing the governments lack of resolve in a serious light. But this problem starts far back when children are born and start to grow up on a diet of ongoing violence without being given any balancing absolutes such as - Though shalt not kill, Though shalt not steal, Honour thy father and mother. Far from receiving this instruction they are left to their own devices and probably see more murders committed on TV and pornography than a man twenty years ago and before saw in a whole life time. Today's normal viewing was yesterdays pornography.
How long can our society suffer this moral collapse which is evident from the top banks to the lowest in the land before economic demise visits this land.
- Jas, Alders, 03/06/2008 20:50
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This is a symptom of many issues, and two of the main ones are, irresponsible parenting, and misplaced respect amongst children.
Either one leads to paranoia, anger, and fear. And we know very well what that leads to. A whole swathe of society (of all ages) unable to think before they react.
Try flooding every media outlet with the idea that aggression, and anger aren't socially acceptable forms of behaviour in the real world. And consider targeting teens/adults with a parental responsibilities test.
- Simon Caleb, Clapham, 03/06/2008 17:03
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The only way to break this cycle of violence is to impose a minimum 10 yr prison sentence on anyone caught carrying a knife - no ifs or buts, no namby pamby liberal do gooders trying to 'get to the root of the problem', it needs to be a straight 10yrs without parole - if people know they face 10yrs then they will seriously think twice - if you get caught with a knife these days you will probably get a caution / suspended sentence and that is simply not a deterrent.
- Simon Bucknell, Enfield, 03/06/2008 16:55
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Eleven years on from "tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime" and still they spout "fresh resources if needed". Labour have completely lost touch with the public and cannot be trusted on any of their policies. It's been eleven years of being conned.
- Tc, London, 03/06/2008 16:52
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Labour is finishing the British off. The knives are out, the blood is flowing. Won't be long, now.
- Jamal Akhbar, Edinburgh, 03/06/2008 16:24
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Words cannot express my outrage with this goverment, if I was younger I would be off to pastures new, this country is finished. Great Britain! I don't think so.
- Elaine, Hertfordshire, 03/06/2008 16:18
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Society is crumbling,I think this is a result of poor leadership and stupid PC legislation.
Cheers Jack!
- Ken, Essex, 03/06/2008 15:42
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It is utter despair at the state of London (and the UK in general) and the severe risk that my sons face every time they go out, that has led us to take the only sensible decision available - get out! We are leaving these shores - getting out of the country - along with the quarter of a million other Brits per annum who just aren't prepared to put up with it any more.
- Goodbye Blighty, Chiswick, London, 03/06/2008 14:47
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"...if needed". Says it all really.
- Paul, London, 03/06/2008 14:46
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We're going to hell in a handcart.
- Steve, London, 03/06/2008 12:57
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Hang on UK, your government will protect you!! next they will ban knives so that it will be illegal to own or carry one! at least that will stop the knife crimes against you!
- Arlee Stayer, Florida, USA, 03/06/2008 12:30
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Great more Police shouting "Stop or I'll fill out another form!"
- Oli, London, 03/06/2008 12:26
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