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Boris: Walk away from fights to avoid knives
Pippa Crerar02.07.08
Boris Johnson today urged teenagers to "walk away" from trouble to help reduce knife crime.
The Mayor said he would advise his own four children to "look after themselves" first, even if they felt a public duty to help a victim.
He spoke out as it was announced that more than 1,200 people have been arrested in a six-week anti-knife operation.
Officers carried out 26,777 stop and searches and recovered 528 weapons during Operation Blunt Two.
Met chief Sir Ian Blair, standing alongside Mr Johnson at a City Hall press conference, said he was " absolutely determined" to bring down the number of knife killings.
He revealed that 95 per cent of the arrests were now leading to prosecutions, up from 80 per cent when the operation began.
The results were released after the murder on Sunday of GCSE student Ben Kinsella, the 17th teenager killed in the capital this year.
The Mayor's message to young people to walk away appeared at odds with his previous comments urging people to "take a risk" and tackle thugs.
He said: "I'm afraid that can sound like a lack of public spirit if somebody is being badly attacked. But I say to kids who are going out this evening and they see a fight, don't get involved, move away. And whatever you do, don't carry knives."
However, the Mayor added that adults still had a responsibility to get involved in certain circumstances.
"There will be cases where it is the public duty of all of us to help people who are victims of crime," he said.
"But if I'm giving advice to my kids about what to do in a bar brawl in Islington then it would be to look after themselves."
Mr Johnson was careful not to fall into the same trap as Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, who suggested that London's streets were dangerous.
"I think that London is a fundamentally safe city and it's safe for all our children. I want to make it much, much safer and that's what we're working towards," he said.
Sir Ian warned that young people carrying knives were more likely to be arrested, charged and put in front of a court than ever before.
He said: "My message is 'don't carry a knife' because if you do then you're probably going to end up in prison."
The Mayor urged parents, siblings and friends to "shop" those youths who they know regularly carry knives.
"I want to make one simple, urgent point. If you know someone who has a dangerous knife or someone who might be involved in knife crime then I hope you will be brave and help the police, because you could not only be saving the life of someone you don't know, but you could be saving the life of someone you love."
Operation Blunt Two was launched by the Met in May after a series of teenage deaths including that of 16-year-old Jimmy Mizen.
A police chief today criticised a Woolworth's store in Sidcup High Street for selling a knife to a 15-year-old boy working for trading standards. It is next door to the key-cutting shop run by Jimmy's father.
During Operation Blunt Two dozens of officers were deployed in boroughs with high knife crime. Arrests were made using tough tactics described as "in your face policing" by one officer.
Reader views (9)
Sara, WC2R
Sorry to disagree but Ned from the USA is absolutely right. Carrying guns for self defence is not exclusively "American". In Victorian and Edwardian England many citizens in Britain owned and carried revolvers and subsequently there were fewer assaults on citizens as criminals could well end up dead, as opposed to nowadays where they get a nice lady social worker, a new identity and a free holiday in Australia. And the victim gets sued.
- Craig D, Lincs UK
This result has been widely reported, but I have to wonder, if 500 knives were found and 1200 people arrested, what were the majority of people arrested for?
- Matty, London, England
Thanks for your kind advice Boris.
Please allow me to give you some advice now: for your own safety you should wear a helmet when you ride your bike.
- Frankie Hat, London
Dear Ned
I am very happy you reside in the USA - please don't mince words - when you say "tools" - you mean guns - Can I suggest that USA has no right to lecture the UK on this issue. One of the UK's biggest tragedies is we have foolishly become de facto the 51st state and taken a lot of negative influences from the U.S.
People can have a positive impact to change things - by getting more involved as a society, and less of the look after me; and the rest can go hang!
- Sara, WC2R
So I just hand my hard earned money to some scum and walk away?
- Grim Reaper, Hell
Do I have to understand the streets of London are so highly dangerous that I can be attacked everywhere I'll go?
I go to London very often and I walk everywhere without trouble until now.
Do I have to understand I'm a very lucky woman?
I always carry a Swiss army knife on me not to stab anyone but because its practical side. In fact the time you take to open it you could be killed a thousand of times before.
Do I have to understand I'd better to let it at home and let me be quietly killed without having the possibility to save my life by my own considering that nobody will help me if they have heard the Mayor's advice?
Where is the public duty of all of us to help people who are victims of crime?
For my own, I couldn't passing by without doing anything to help someone who is attacked because on one side it's my duty and on the other side I'll be happy to be rescued by someone if it would happen to me.
Do I have to understand I'd better to give up going to your so beautiful town for my own good?
Don't you believe if we are not allowed to help endangering people we only play the game of all these yobbos?
Acting like that would give them the power on us.
Is it what Mr Johnson wants?
- Anne-Laure, geneva switzerland
Getting tough with thugs. Well done Boris!
How about having a hotline for kids to be able to call and inform the police about those that they know who carry knives? Teenagers need to be able to report this to someone discreetly.
- Paul, Devon UK
Do get involved, don't get involved. Clear message sent here. How about this? Just don't get involved when it's his children that are in danger. Then you can be the the perfect British subject. Too bad you will never achieve the status of citizen.
- Harvey Beaver, Boise Idaho U.S.A
"...the Mayor added that adults still had a responsibility to get involved in certain circumstances".
Yeah, right. This is in a country where if someone attempts to protect their own life and property from a thug the police arrest the victim and the victim gets sued into oblivion by the thug.
On top of that, this country doesn't trust its subjects to carry any tools with which they could properly defend themselves or someone else.
No wonder crime is rising. And why would someone intercede on anyone's behalf when they know that if they injure or kill the attacker that they'll spend time in jail and/or go broke trying to defend themselves against prosecution.
There's a saying: "There's a reason that God put those people on an island."
I feel truly sorry for the responsible people who are not even trusted by their masters with the tools with which to defend themselves.
- Ned, Phoenix USA
