Very interesting analysis of teen knife / gun crime

[AnybodyHomeMcFly]

BBC Home editor Mark Easton blogging here. He has properly looked at the figures behind the headlines and concludes that while stabbings are up, shootings are down and that it really only affects big cities (which is obviously still not great for those of us who do live in cities!).

He says: "What do we conclude from all this? Well, I don't think these figures tell a story of increasingly ferocious juvenile violence sweeping the land. Instead, they offer clues to the nature of predominantly urban gang culture.

"If you don't believe me, consider this. In 2002-3, not one school child was treated for a stab wound anywhere in central and south east England outside London. How many victims were there in this large and populous region last year? None."

I believe that the more the media makes of this, the more young males will arm themselves with knives... It spreads fear.

If I was a young man walking the streets of a big city, I might be scared enough to carry a knife if I thought many others were armed. It's very easy for people who are aren't living in those areas in their teens to judge. We need to protect young people instead of vilifying them.

More police officers on the street and self defense classes at school would be a start.

Interesting post Anybody and I agree with Mrs Macaroon.

Oh and I think Mark Easton is a really good journalist.

That's all I have to say.

Hmmm.

Makes me rather cheered that I left London. Sorry to those in London, of course.

And Mrs M, dead right. I do think it needs to be reported because actually it's a bloody scandal that people can't go out (or be in their own flats for that matter if the latest terrible murder is anything to go by) without more political will to actually do something about it in terms of ring-fencing resources for the police, addressing the causes of crime (remember that?) etc., and the only way to build political will is to ensure that people care about it - but the reporting is generally crap.