To think there must be things we can do to stop youngsters carrying knives? But what?

[ElspethsBreath]

aibu or is there something which can be done? Is anything being
done? I just seem to hear increasing amounts of stories about young people being stabbed.

Life sentences and stop and search no matter what colour you are for a start

Better parenting

Metal detectors wherever possible. Police on the streets, including stop and search. Decent sentences. Make those sentences clear in schools, they will be throwing their lives away. Then early intervention. Employment that pays enough, so crime isn't the only way to afford things. That's la la land to this government, it'll mean funding essential services.

www.theweek.co.uk/100066/how-glasgow-is-beating-knife-crime

There's areas of the country were lads don't stand a chance, if they aren't doing the bullying, then they are being bullied and often stabbed.

Ideally we need prevention not cure. More education from a young age to try to stop children going down that line.

Parents talking to their children.
More stop and search
More scanners

Glasgow came a long way by treating it as a public health issue and getting all the partners round a table. It really changed the knife crime figures.

I recall the true story of holding my friend's hand while he bled to death from a stabbing...
My dc know the cold facts...
I have heard about parents visiting schools to tell their heartfelt stories.

Maybe more of this?

The kids that carry knives are scared. Somewhere they can go where they are not scared. Maybe safer neighbourhoods, proper youth club/sports club provision?

Glasgow sounds amazing. Is the Westminster based government actually doing much to sort this out? I don’t hear of them falling over themselves to sort it.

Ah yes, let's blame the parents again

Parents caring what their children are doing when they are out, how many have talked to their teens about knife crime.

The root cause stems from home. A kid living in a chaotic or unstructured or frankly uncaring home is more likely to seek their role models and support networks outside of it. At this point it's a complete crapshoot who takes them under their wing but the most influential people in often poor, deprived areas are the dealers and older kids up to no good. Kid gets drawn in by promises of new trainers/ earning cash/getting a sense of belonging, kid is suddenly in more dangerous situations and kid then carries a knife. Kid can't escape that way of life because they'll be treated as a traitor and within a few months they're basically a lost cause unless some real strong intervention takes place.

This is the well trodden path and by and large true for probably 90% of young people carrying knives. It's driven by fear and having role models who themselves don't know better (often they were in identical a situation 2/3/4 years earlier) but ultimately it starts at home in most cases and is as a result of any combination of poor/absent parenting, no male role model worth speaking of, poverty and lack of self worth.

Additional punishment won't work, they don't fear, and In fact sometimes crave, prison. It only works if community leaders, police, government services and local residents work together to identify those at risk and intervene before they take this road - otherwise it's essentially a case of waiting until one of these outcomes;

• They get killed
• They get a very long prison sentence, or even life for killing someone else
• They hit rock bottom, often after a near miss of one of the two points above - and have matured enough to weigh up alternatives to their existing lives.

What's the old phrase, it takes a village to raise a child - well unfortunately In so many of our villages, the villagers and wider government haven't given enough of a shit about the kids and then scratch their heads about why they turned out so bad, while still not giving a shit about the next round of kids.

It's going to take a long time to resolve these issues and may not ever be fully achievable.

This, this and more this...

Also:

www.mav.scot/navigator/

Legalising drugs and regulating the trade would go a long way.

Genius! You should become a Special Advisor.

I've just recently done the bleeding training. It wasn't particularly graphic, but was still shocking to me, the size of the wound you need to "stuff" and the speed at which someone can die from a knife wound the wrong place.

I wonder if all teens should have to do that? At the very least they may be better placed to help a friend who's a victim.

We have a young lad where I live, who witnessed his friend getting stabbed and unfortunately died.

He now does an amnesty and people contact him and willingly give up their knives.

I honestly believe the world is turning into what is it, as we now need two parents working 40+ hours each, just to survive, so our latchkey kids are getting involved in things they shouldn't and getting into situations they are too immature to understand, only way out being violence.

The one thing he has said is, most knives carried are your good old kitchen knife, as easily accessible. Knives should therefore be stored in a block, so you can realise one is missing, if left in a drawer with other stuff you wouldn't notice it gone.

Kids carry them out of fear of needing protection, yet, then are more likely to use it.

It's sad and terrible at the same time.

My kids secondary used to bring in metal detector arches (like at airport - not sure what they are called)at random times and every child had to walk through to get into school. Surprising what got detected.

It's not always kids from poorer backgrounds who carry out these stabbings, or carry knives.
There was a case of a young teenager who was stabbed to death by his friend who came from a privileged background in Hale Barnes, Cheshire.
He was, according to his mother, obsessed with knives and killings. He was even recorded in the court toilets during his trial on CCTV making vicious stabbing motions with an imaginary knife.
He got four years for manslaughter, of which he will serve two years and the remaining two years on licence.
Drugs were involved in that one.

However, the light sentence taught him nothing and he's still owning knives.

For the most it's a catch 22 situation as in, he's carrying a knife, so to protect myself, I'll carry a knife.
Gangs and drugs pose the biggest problem with carrying a knife. Until those two factors are addressed and acted upon, then unfortunately the knife crimes will continue.
Quite how it can be resolved, I have no idea, apart from all agencies involved in children's lives working together. This includes parents, schools, youth workers and the police etc. However it's not something that's exclusive to those from a poorer or underprivileged background.

Yes, apparently kitchen knives are the thing most often stolen from supermarkets.

I expect they have something to do with it. Quite a lot, probably

Ah yes let increase stop and search as long as it doesn't affect white young boys! Great solution to the problem!

just my opinion, but bringing back sure start centres, more money being put into early years and community support for all parents would make a difference I feel