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Knife crime policy in shambles
Paul Waugh, Deputy Political Editor14.07.08
Labour's knife crime crackdown was in chaos this afternoon within 24 hours of being revealed.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith unveiled a plan yesterday to make offenders go to casualty wards to meet victims but it sparked an immediate backlash from doctors.
The proposal was mired in confusion with briefings from senior officials appearing to conflict with what the Cabinet minister told MPs.
In the Commons today, Ms Smith said: "I never said, nor would it be sensible, for young people to be dragged through accident and emergency wards."
Yet only minutes earlier a senior official had stressed that offenders may still meet victims in A&E - but not the people they had injured.
Shadow home secretary Dominic Grieve said of the plan: "I think she has now abandoned that." At his monthly press conference, Gordon Brown looked uncomfortable when asked about the proposal.
Some reports suggested that offenders would not go to emergency units but rather to other wards once a victim was recovering and then only to speak to doctors. David Cameron ridiculed the A&E idea, saying: "The concept that if you've been stabbed and you're in hospital and you get visited by knife criminals, I think they haven't thought it through."
But Mr Cameron faced criticism himself when he said knife carriers should "expect" a jail term under a Tory government.
Labour pointed out his plan was identical to Mr Brown's "presumption of prosecution".
Donald MacKechnie, clinical vice president of the College of Emergency Medicine and an A&E consultant in Bolton, where there have been three stabbings in the past three days, today criticised the hospital proposal.
He said: "I certainly don't think it is a good idea if people who are potential perpetrators or actual perpetrators of knife crime are being marched through to see these patients who are extremely vulnerable."
He told the BBC: "It's paramount to secondary victimisation for someone who's already suffered a horrendous injury The priority for us working in emergency departments is the patient."
Reader views (21)
You may all be interested to know that other Lefties call our 'busty' Home Secretary 'Wacky Jacqui' - but only because she sometimes pays lip-service to getting tough on crime!
- Michael, Reading
-Besides bringing back military service. Re-introducing the death penalty is also a solid measure to tackle very serious crimes, but for the long run, we need to address the failure of our brand of multi-culturalism, that has ghettoised many segments of the community: a Citizen's Charter would be a solution, setting up what are the responsibilities for being British. Also many migrants bring in a lot of baggage with them which they need to unload to become functional: It is called integration...
I was a CFE lecturer for two years, there was a year campaign on Respect for students. A major flaw was that respect for students meant being macho and tough, i.e. miles apart to what the management of the College meant... So this miscommunication meant that a well intentioned campaign was doing exactly the opposite and encouraging youngsters to be even more dysfunctional!
Visiting victims in hospitals is not a good idea, military and community service however are, and apologising for them being prescriptive, is a huge mistake.
We can't change dysfunction without massive intervention...
- Nabil H, London, UK
It is alight for the government to implement different way to solve knife crime. When are they going to deal with the real issue, look at the home, give the parent back the power to discipline their children so that they can be taught respect and manners. because since parents have lost the right to correct their children we have ended up with today problem. Children raising Children, when a child goes home and tells their parents that the teacher told them off or removed them from the classroom for being disruptive. Instead of the parent speaking to the child or the teacher to find out why the incident occurred, they go to the school and start arguing with the teacher and is prepared to fight them. This display of behaviour of the parent tells the child it acceptable act rude, disrespectful and violence and so the downward spiral begins. So lets go back to the beginning from the day they were born to see were is has gone so wrong because that is the only way we will stop today's children from killing each offer.
- Susan, London
The first thing that the Tories should do when then they gain power is order an immediate early release of those people who have been convicted of non-violent crimes e.g. fraud, etc..
Then we will have space in the prisons to jail anyone who carries a knife in public. And the best bit is they'll be able to lay the blame on New Labour's shambolic management of the criminal justice system.
- Ian Gilbertson, Newcastle
The calibre of politicians ruling the country at the moment is pretty depressing - how did they ever get through their job interviews?!
Our obsession with human rights is paradoxically protecting people who don't care about other people's. I personally like the idea of putting knife attackers in a cage on display, a good hiding in public or hell, even the stocks. Keep them out of the hospitals though, they will only take delight in their handywork.
- Andy, Putney, UK
NuLabour will never resolve the scourge of knife and gun crime; it may be a tired old cliché, but they are part of the problem, not part of the solution. Bliar, Brown and the rest of this hopeless shower have presided over the catastrophic breakdown of British society and the state-sponsored abrogation of personal responsibility, all of which has been facilitated by their twisted left-liberal dogma and army of politically correct commissars. Much of this destruction has been deliberate; the resultant climate of fear has given the megalomaniacs of the hard left all the excuses needed to justify ever more interference in our daily lives and emboldened them to introduce ever more draconian legislation. Unfortunately, these laws are designed to combat the enemies of NuLabour, not the enemies of the British people. The destruction of our national identity, in order to ease further EU integration, has been a long-term goal of NuLabour's treacherous inner circle. We must see a return of common sense government and the handcuffs must be removed from the Police and placed on the criminal, but none of this will happen whilst NuLabour are in government. They know that they are done for and, in the best traditions of socialist spite, they will wreak as much havoc as is possible before being consigned to the political wilderness at the next general election.
- Keith Lonsdale, Doncaster
They should re-name New Labour as Loony Labour as that's what they are.
The last thing hospitals need is criminals running around the place. Where did Jaqui Smith dream up this ridiculous idea! Is she trying to turn hospitals into circus's and does she really think a knife victim wants to meet and greet someone who has been convicted of knifing someone.
If these knife wielding idiots want to behave like animals treat them like animals. Lock them up in giant cages on the High St so the general public can view them.
Roll on general election, as Loony Labour are digging a big hole for themselves.
- Triffid Queen, Harrow
Cameron did not say that knife carriers should expect a jail term, but that young people convicted of a knife crime, should be sent to jail. That is only sensible.
- Michael Hargrave, Surbiton UK
Anyone who has ever considered it unfair on black kids for the police to target them when out on the beat must bear the blame for the current situation. Time to stop trying to understand the why’s and start condemning the who’s.
- St, London
Men and Women work hard cleaning our streets I live in Highams park and the man that cleans our street does a fantastic job. I thinks the patience required and the commitment esp during winter months is second to none.
So why say if your bad then you sweep the streets. No, if your bad then you should given a job in the victims area one which he/she feels should be done. or go to jail
- Paul, London
Perhaps if parents were allowed to punish their children again, they might be able to teach them some responsibility. As things stand in this society, if a parent tries to make their child behave, social services will prosecute the parent and comfort the poor abused child. But if the child commits a crime, they want to punish the parents for not controlling the child!
- Sid, Cornwall
You can't stop people carrying penknives and nor should we but we should punish those that commit crimes harshly. What happened to punishment in this country? Stop these ridiculous initiatives for criminals and remind them that if you commit a crime you will be punished!
- Oli, London
Bob of Cowes is absolutely correct in saying that this Government is useless. Not only are they collectively useless but are totally clueless about how to deal with knife and violent crime. They parade cabinet ministers onto television news programmes where they tell us all that they know what they are doing and that they are doing what Joe Public would want them to do. I watched yet another of these incompetents, Ed Balls, on Sky News this morning and cringed at the comments he made about knife crime. Like the rest of his cohorts Balls hasn't a clue or probably even cares about what Joe Public actually wants.
- Benjamin Maloret, Bugibba, Malta
Go Bob -everyone in the country thinks what you do. Was a time when every boy had a penknife-in the 50's maybe-ship'em all off to fight the Taliban and see how tough they are then.
As for the government-I wasn't aware there was one, just MPs being paid for by you and me to avoid having to do a real job. Useless.
- Anna Moreno, luxembourg
Weak on crime, strong on taxing motorists. I hate this useless government. They are totally clueless. Did anyone see that pillock Douglas Alexander MP on Question Time last week? The audience were not impressed when he said words to the effect, carry a knife and you MAY be prosecuted, use it and you MAY be prosecuted and go to prison. What sort of message did that give to youngsters? Can you imagine the reaction from a stab victim being visited by some feral young sub-human thug; ghetto blaster in one ear and a joint behind the other (who would probably infect the place with TB, Hep C and/or MRSA)and think it very amusing to see a person suffering?
We need offenders to be sentenced to 6 weeks basic training, and as they like violence so much - off to Iraq or Afghanistan to lend a hand. Watch the crime rate drop overnight. This weak kneed administration knows the answer - they just haven't the bottle to carry it through.
- Bob, Cowes
I think it will not work because it might cause more violence in the hospital.
- Daniel Thomas, swidnon
I carried a knife since the first grade in school. Never did I attack anyone nor threaten anyone. I used the knife on our farm and when my pants went on the knife was in the pocket. You cannot stop crime by dis-arming the law abiding citizens. The thugs must know it will cost them dearly to commit a crime. Any assault with a knife should meet with very serious time in jail. I notice that your judges do not take crime against citizens very seriously unless it is a law abiding citizen defending himself against a thug.
- Apaul, West Palm Beach,Fl.USA
At last someone has the right idea. National service for our young kids, this is the only way they can get back on track - and the parents should do community service. I rather my taxes go to better use like this than keep paying for re-offenders in prison with a roof over their heads, 3 meals a day - that is more than some law abiding citizens who are trying to make it!
- Liz, London
I totally support the national service idea. Why don't they extend it to punishment and send the convicted to third world countries to help with building projects. I'm sure they will find it a less than cushy alternative to prison without their televisions, playstations and mobile phones.
- H. Howle, Dartford, UK
It would be against human rights to subject criminals to seeing people who were stabbed. They would claim thousands of pounds for "depression" or anything else they might think of. This will not work. This proves that Gordon Brown has no idea whatsoever about crime or teenagers. People are killing people with knives and leaving them in a pool of blood - so why would they care about visiting them in hospital. Lets just wait until it affects the tourist industry - it will be dealt with swiftly enough then by the government!
- Julie, london
This government and this prime minister is weak on crime and weak on the causes of crime.
- Mr S.Port, London
