When will the violence stop? (From News Shopper)

When will the violence stop?

11:00am Thursday 17th July 2008 in

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Knife crime in the UK seems to be everywhere at the moment, and with the media concentrating on the incidents more than ever before, I'm starting to really worry about the safety of myself and others around me.

Is knife crime on the increase? or is the coverage by the press making it out to be worse than before?

As a 21-year-old I am worried. I am worried because everyday there is yet another incident about someone being stabbed.

Today a 42-year-old man died after being stabbed in Lincolnshire. Another life, another statistic.

In the last week four people were killed in a 24-hour spell in London alone.

And according to The Times, police have recorded around 20,000 serious offences involving knives last year.

This figure includes grievous bodily harm, attempted murder and woundings and robbery.

So many newspapers, including The News Shopper, have recently launched campaigns against knife crime.

I think these campaigns are a very good idea to help get the message across to the people who believe it is ok to carry knives. The message is that the public will not tolerate it.

However, on the other hand, the campaigns and media coverage these crimes have been getting does not appear to have reduced the number of incidents.

Does this mean that knife crime is becoming glamorise? The crime is getting status, it is no longer just a stabbing, it's a stabbing which will be another statistic and which will probably make the morning papers.

We all know there are many reasons why people carry knives. They vary hugely from gangs carrying knives because the rival gang carries them, or just being angry and mentally disturbed and stabbing a stranger.

I think the Government needs to step up to the plate and do something. It has a responsibility to protect the people it serves.

People know they could stab someone and if jailed they will serve half their time and be out in a few years. Even for murder the sentences are often not long enough.

There are many ideas as to how knife crime could be reduced. A life for a life some say, send them to Iraq others say.

Someone's life could be taken away by a tip of a blade and the person responsible could be free to live their life in less than 15 years.

What do you think would be a good deterrent?

Recently The News Shopper requested to have 1 minute of the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith's time.

We wanted to put the public's comments to Jacqui relating to the Voices Against Violence campaign.

But the Home Secretary was too busy to see us, too busy to consider listening to the people who she was elected to serve.

If this is the attitude of someone so high up then what hope is there is solving what is now deemed a "knife epidemic."

Today annual statistics are going to be released which will contain a set of data on knife attacks in England and Wales for the first time.

With the possibility of the highest ever recorded number of incidents, how do you feel about the society in which you live?