Knife crime..My primary focus within this research

I primarily intend to focus upon the representation of the growing epidemic of knife crime; in London within tabloids, and why it is represented in such a way. Also, i intend to find out how they create "moral panic" within their representation and why this is the reaction they want to achieve; along with how it influences and to what extent it affects the public opinion on this topic, based on what they read.

UK crime facts- Knife crime

When we first added this Web page to our site in 2006, the intention was to present the "Facts" about the apparently growing problem of knife crime in the UK, without sensationalising the issues as is often the case with news reportage.
Over the last two years, we have spoken with many dedicated and wonderful people and voluntary groups, working hard within their local communities to tackle the problem. Such efforts have often been undertaken without official funding or much in the way of practical support from the government, but hopefully when the governments Violent Crime Action Plan is published, things will change.

How is 2008 shaping up for knife crime?

- well the first fatal stabbing in 2008 occurred just hours into the new year! ..with at least three more fatal stabbings in the UK being reported in the first week.

In 2007, there were 27 teenagers stabbed to death in London alone

...in the first 10 weeks of 2008 there have been 9 fatal stabbings in London...


The many recent high profile fatal stabbings that have dominated the media, have raised public awareness of the UK' s growing knife culture
Most people seem to agree with the government, police and other law enforcement agencies, that it's time to act to stamp out the growing menace of knife crime.

Which is why initiatives such as "Operation Blunt" (Metropolitan Police) and "Operation Shield" (British Transport Police) are generally welcomed


some knives collected during an amnesty!
Is knife crime in the UK on the increase? - a brief update

Since this page was originally produced in June 06, it seems that hardly a week has gone by without at least one high profile stabbing being reported in the press or on the national news.

In producing the original page, our intention was simply to draw attention to the apparently growing issue of knife crime, although, to be honest, we have been somewhat astounded by the number of visitors that the web page has attracted, and the positive feedback received.

Newsflash 28th October 2007 - Channel 5 news;

Figures obtained under the freedom of information act show that there is a knife crime committed in the UK every 24 minutes!

- in fact the figures show that there have been 5,500 serious knife crimes in the UK in just 3 months.

So, some 12 months or so on from the original posting on this site, how do things look now?

Frankly, just as confused ...in March 2007 following the fatal stabbing of Adam Regis (and 4 other fatal stabbings within the previous week), the then Home Secretary Mr John Reid finally admitted that we don't know enough about knife crime, and ordered police forces to start collecting statistics on the use of knives in crime, as the Government does not know enough about the scale of knife violence! This must be viewed as a positive step (if somewhat late in the day), as current statistics are simply unreliable.

As an example, based on one survey, a worst case projection indicates that 60,000 young people (predominantly male) may be stabbed and injured in the UK each year, whilst a rather more conservative estimate could be 22,000. The discrepancy in the two figures should not really be surprising as the figures were derived from the questioning of around 600 under 25 year olds, who were asked whether they had been knifed or stabbed, and then extrapolated to provide a "National Statistic" (Governments Offending, Crime and Justice Survey - OCJS).

Whatever the actual numbers, it is clear that the persons most likely to be at risk from knife violence are; young, black or Asian males, living in high crime inner city areas, ...but as is all too evident from the events of the last year, young or old, ordinary citizens, solicitors, police officers, etc., no one is exempt!

Hard facts - The murder of 14 year old Paul Erhahon on 6th April 2007 was reported as the 7th under 16 year old to be murdered in London in 2 months (and that's just London). During March, 30 year old Kevin Platt and at least two other youths were fatally stabbed in separate incidents in Manchester, whilst the string of reported deaths and stabbings have continued throughout April and into May. The most recently reported deaths (as @ 20th May 07), being the fatal stabbing in Sunderland of 22 year old Kevin Johnson and in a separate incident in Sunderland on the same night, the non fatal stabbing in the chest of another male.



The Issues, Statistics and General Information relating to Knife Crime

Few would argue that anyone has a need to carry on the streets of Britain, the sort of lethal weapons pictured above, and it's illegal to do so (generally speaking, the carrying of any knife other than a folding pocket knife with a blade length of less than 3" is illegal in the UK).

Below we have attempted to provide an overview of the current state of affairs regarding knife culture in Britain, related crime statistics and the practical measures which are being taken to improve the situation and make our streets safer. The information is presented in good faith and believed to be accurate. As explained below however (see information sources), the often conflicting nature of official statistics, etc. means that some interpretation and filtering of published information has been necessary.

Knife crime national statistics

Gun and knife enabled crime in London

What is gun and knife crime?

The police record crime into different offence categories, e.g. robbery. If a weapon is
used to assist a crime the offence will also be classified as a gun or knife enabled
offence, e.g. a knife enabled robbery.

Owning or carrying an illegal gun or knife is an offence in its own right, even if it hasn’t
been used to carry out a crime.

Are crimes involving guns and knives common?

Gun and knife enabled offences are uncommon. In London during 2004/05, only 2
percent of all recorded violent crime involved a gun and 5 percent involved a knife.

This said, in 2003/04 more gun-enabled crimes were recorded in London than any other
region in England and Wales: around 40 percent of the national total1. This may seem a
large figure but it equates to around 6 offences per 10,000 Londoners per year.

Source: MPS recorded crime and Povey, D (2004) Home Office

Is gun and knife crime increasing?

Long term crime trends between April 2003 and August 2005 show consistent levels of
gun and knife enabled offending in London. Monthly fluctuations occur but the number
of offences have not increased or decreased significantly over this period.

Recent trends, comparing the July to September quarter for 2004/05 with that of
2005/06, indicate that there have been increases in gun-enabled violence (14 percent)
and also increases for gun enabled homicide and knife enabled homicide (4 more
offences for each compared to period in the previous year).

Source: MPS recorded crime

What types of crime involve guns and knives?

It is important to note that crimes involving guns and knives do not always result in
physical injury; guns and knives are also used to threaten, and damage property.

The following tables list the types of gun and knife enabled crime in order of
prevalence.

Gun enabled offence Percentage
Criminal damage 46
Violence against the person 30
Robbery 20
‘Other notifiable’ offences 3
Burglary 2

1
There are also large concentrations of gun crime in Greater Manchester and the West
Midlands metropolitan areas.


Knife enabled offence Percentage
Robbery 29
Violence 29
Illegal possession of a knife 25
Criminal damage 4
Theft and handling 4
‘Other notifiable’ offences 4
Burglary 3
Drugs 1
Source: Metropolitan Police Authority (2005, Report 10)

What types of weapons are used to commit crimes?

The following table list the types of guns used to commit crimes in order of prevalence
for England and Wales.

Gun type Percentage of gun enabled crime
Air weapon 57
Hand gun 23
Imitation 8
Unidentified 6
Other firearm 3
Long barrelled shot gun 1
Sawn off shot gun 1
Rifle 0
Source: Home Office 01/04 (2004)

Different types of blades and sharp implements can be used to threaten and attack
people although the statistics here relate to incidents involving actual knives.

To what extent are victims of gun and knife crime harmed or killed?

Victims of any crime suffer a certain amount of trauma. The involvement of a weapon is
likely to increase the severity of an offence and also increase the risk of serious physical
harm.

A threatening situation involving a weapon can escalate quickly and become violent.
Weapons increase the likelihood of someone being killed, be it the intended victim or
the attacker themselves.

The probability of serious injury is four and a half times greater when a knife is used to
assist a crime. The risk of serious injury is more than twice as great for knife-enabled
crimes than for gun-enabled crimes.

It is important to consider these statistics in context however: gun and knife enabled
homicide is very rare and accounts around 1 percent of gun and knife enabled violence
each year.

Source: MPS recorded crime and MPA report 10

Who is committing gun and knife crime?

In the three months to September 2005, those legally proceeded against for a gun or
knife enabled crime tended to be male (90 percent), predominantly aged between 18
and 25 (53 percent) and were mostly either Black (47 percent) or White (38 percent).

Those aged between 10 and 17 accounted for over a quarter of those accused (28
percent).

Source: MPS recorded crime

Which areas in London have highest levels of gun and knife crime?

Generally neighbourhoods with high levels of deprivation and social exclusion have the
highest rates of gun and knife crime.

The following table indicates which London boroughs have the highest and lowest level
of gun enabled offending when taking different population sizes in to account.

Borough list Rate of gun offences per 10,000 population
Hackney, Lambeth, Southwark 10 - 12
Haringey, Waltham Forest, Lewisham,
Brent 8-9
Tower Hamlets, Newham, Islington,
Greenwich, Ealing, Barking & Dagenham 5-7
Hammersmith & Fulham, Enfield,
Camden, Wandsworth, Redbridge,
Croydon, Merton, Hounslow
4
Havering, Westminster, Barnet,
Kensington & Chelsea, Kingston,
Hillingdon
3
Bromley, Harrow, Sutton, Bexley,
Richmond 1-2
Source: MPS recorded crime 12months Oct 2005

....A tabloids interpretation of the increasing knife crime in London

Britain seeks to curb knife crime after slayings

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press Writer
Article Launched: 06/05/2008 12:06:52 PM MDT

LONDON—Arsema Dawit is the latest name on a somber list.
The 15-year-old schoolgirl was found dead in an elevator at a south London apartment building this week, the 16th teenager slain in Britain's capital this year. Most, like Dawit, were stabbed to death—and most of their killers were other young people.

The deaths have sparked fears of a knife crime "epidemic" among Britain's young, and spurred the government to announce tougher penalties for teens caught carrying a blade.

"Carrying a knife is completely unacceptable," Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Thursday announcing an end to Britain's system of issuing warnings to some teenagers caught with knives.

Until now, warnings were given to most of those under the age of 18 found with knives. With the change, anyone 16 or over who carries a knife with a blade longer than 3 inches will be prosecuted. Those convicted face a penalty of up to four years in prison.

"Young people need to understand that carrying knives doesn't protect you, it does the opposite—it increases the danger for all of us, destroys young lives and ruins families," Brown said.

For a major city, London has a low murder rate. Police say there were 159 homicides from April 2007 to the same month this year, about a third the number in similarly sized New York. But the number of victims under age 18 has risen. According to police figures, 17 teenagers were killed in London in 2006, 27 in 2007, and 16 so far this year. Eleven of the 16 were stabbed to death.
Many young people say pressure to carry—and use—knives is growing.

"It's increasing. It's stupid things like 'you have spoken to my girlfriend, I'll slash you up,' or 'If I see him out, he's having it,'" said Monique Morrison, 21, one of a group of young people who met with the prime minister Thursday to discuss the problem.

The grim regularity of stabbings over the past few months has alarmed Londoners.

The victims include 18-year-old Rob Knox, who had a small part in the upcoming film "Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince," and was stabbed to death while trying to break up a brawl outside a south London bar on May 24. A 21-year-old has been charged with his murder.

Knox's smiling photo and his grieving parents appeared on the front of newspapers and on television news bulletins. Two weeks earlier, it had been the face and the family of Jimmy Mizen, a popular 16-year-old stabbed with a piece of glass outside a bakery. A 19-year-old is accused of his murder.

A 21-year-old student has been charged with killing Dawit, an Eritrean immigrant who sang in a church choir and had complained to police about an earlier assault.

"It's not even a shock anymore" to hear about stabbings, said 16-year-old Vogue Huell, a student from Bromley, the south London district where Knox was killed. "It's the whole gang culture, I think. As soon as one person gets stabbed, someone goes after another person."

London's new mayor, Boris Johnson, has also vowed to crack down on knife crime. His proposals include airport-style metal-detecting arches at train and subway stations. London police recently began an aggressive new program to search anyone they wish for knives without having to justify their suspicions beforehand.

Some experts, however, say the measures are little more than political posturing.

"I'm skeptical about whether the latest measures will have an effect," said Enver Solomon, deputy director of the Center for Crime and Justice Studies at King's College London.

He said most teens who carry knives do so because they have been the victims of crime.

"The clear message from research is that kids carry knives because they don't feel safe," Solomon said. "Unless you address that feeling of insecurity, you are not going to have a big impact on the number of kids carrying knives."

An interpretation of the knife crime on the "streets"

Why knife crime cuts us to the quick

Why knife crime cuts us to the quick
The deep insecurity in our society has fuelled a national panic, despite the UK having one of the world’s lowest youth homicide rates.

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Why are so many young people carrying knives; why are there so many youth killings; why is our society so ‘broken’ and out of control? To judge by media and political debate, you might think that these are the Big Questions facing Britain today. But here are a couple of alternative questions: Why have we blown up knife crime, the ‘knife culture’ and anti-social youth into such a defining issue of the age? And isn’t there a risk of this panic becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy?


‘Kids killing kids. Families in fear. It’s time to say NO MORE’, declared the front page of the Sun newspaper on Tuesday, announcing that ‘The nation is in the grip of an epidemic of deadly youth violence’. These sentiments are not restricted to the tabloid press. The Sun shares its ‘Broken Britain’ slogan with Conservative Party leader David Cameron. The Metropolitan Police chief has compared the problem of youth violence in London to the threat of terrorism. New London mayor Boris Johnson has even talked about ‘the culture of stabbing’, as if it were endemic among young people in the capital. Little wonder that one TV news presenter felt able to pose the rhetorical question, ‘Is London the knife capital of the world?’

As the panic has reached a new pitch in recent days, media reports have lumped together isolated and unconnected incidents - an Asian youth beaten to death in Yorkshire, a young actor stabbed on the south-east London/Kent borders, two young Africans shot in north London - as evidence of an alleged ‘epidemic’. The particular focus on knives and youth stabbings in London has been sustained by constant coverage of the brutal killings of 16-year-old Jimmy Mizen (who died from a wound made by broken glass from a shop door) on 10 May and the 18-year-old actor Rob Knox a fortnight later. The drawn-out reports of the two deaths and their aftermaths has created the impression of an almost daily death toll in the city.

It is time to put these events in some perspective. Our aim should in no way be to belittle the crimes, or play down the tragic suffering of those involved. It is a question of treating them as just that: individual offences and tragedies, rather than symptoms of any social epidemic.

Believe it or not but it is true: as a leading Met officer said this week, ‘Statistically, knife crime remains a rare event’. Although there are always disputes over different crime statistics and surveys, there is no evidence of any boom in knife crime in the UK. And one thing we can know for certain - since murder is the crime that definitely does not go ‘under-reported’ - is that knife killings, and youth homicides, remain extremely rare.

Total murders in London were down in 2007 for the fifth year in succession, from 222 in 2003 to 160 last year. Within those figures, the numbers of teenagers killed did rise - by ‘over 50 per cent’ as some reports put it. In hard numbers, however, that was an increase from 17 deaths to 26. The rate of youth homicides in London this year - 14 teenage deaths so far - would, if it were sustained to the end of 2008, represent a far smaller rise. Reports that the number of killings nationally in which both the victim and assailant were under 18 had ‘trebled’ last year also need to be put in some perspective; that was an increase from 12 killings in 2006 to 37 in 2007.

Each and every violent death of a young person is of course a bitter tragedy, and, as we all know without being endlessly lectured, even one killing is one too many. But these relatively modest figures suggest that there must be something else behind the current panic. And a brief international comparison makes any talk of the UK as the knife or murder capital of the world look as stupid as it is irresponsible.



The most trusted global survey remains the World Health Organisation’s first World Report on Violence and Health, published in 2002. The WHO report estimated a global total of 199,000 youth homicides in 2000 - a worldwide average of 9.2 killings per 100,000 people aged 10 to 29. Within that average, however, the regional and national variations were the most striking.

Across Latin America there were 36.4 homicides per 100,000 young people; Colombia topped the table with 84.4 killings per 100,000, followed by El Salvador and Brazil. Across Africa the average was 17.6 killings per 100,000 young people. In Russia it was 18 homicides per 100,000. In the USA the comparable figure was 11. And in Western Europe? France had just 0.6, Germany 0.8 and the UK only 0.9 killings for every 100,000 young people.

If anything, the trends since 2000 seem likely to have widened rather than narrowed the youth homicide gap between Western Europe and the developing world. I recently heard tell of a British expert who went to an international conference where speakers from Latin America reeled off figures of tens of thousands of youth homicides a year. When it came to his turn to address the conference, he had some trouble explaining how the comparatively tiny UK statistics for similar killings could be seen to constitute a national crisis.

Why then has knife crime become such an all-consuming image, a centrepiece of Britain’s self-image, with top-level talk of it ‘spiralling out of control’, of a ‘deadly epidemic of youth violence’ and a ‘stabbing culture’? This would appear to have more to do with the diminishing sense of solidarity among adults than any rising tide of crime among the young.

It is not so much that our streets and cities are more unsafe, but they are certainly more insecure. There is a deep sense of insecurity in communities where many feel isolated from one another, and especially from young people. In a world of strangers, it is little wonder that the fear of ‘stranger danger’ can take such a hold.

This insecurity helps to explain why incidents of violence can be interpreted as proof of a major social problem, confirming people’s worst fears about others. It is why many refuse to accept any reassurances about the real levels of crime in society, even including murder. It seems simply beyond the comprehension of many that things are not getting worse and worse, so deep are they buried within their personal bunkers of the psyche.

Against this background, cold facts cannot compete with emotions. It is the lack of solidarity in our communities, not the shortage of stats, that feeds the sense of insecurity. Thus during the recent London mayoral election campaign, when Ken Livingstone tried to tell a TV studio audience that overall murder rates had fallen in the capital, people tried to shout him down as if they believed that there could be unrecorded piles of bodies hidden about the city. (No doubt in other circumstances Ken would have been the one trying to drum up fear of rising knife crime.)

And youth violence is an issue that captures our society’s state of mind better than most. The needless death of a teenager will always be a terrible and emotive event. But the impact is far greater today when young people have become the focus of so many of our insecurities, so that adults project their hopes and fears on to them, stereotyping youth either as victims or villains.

The official response to the knife panic only makes matters worse. Politicians often pay lip service to the fact that ‘fear of crime’ is far more widespread than crime itself. Their answer, however, is to try to calm public fears by staging high-profile law-and-order ‘crackdowns’ that do little to alter anything but only confirm people’s worst fears about what is out there. New Labour’s repeated attempts to restrict access to knives – a pointless exercise unless you can put a policeman on every kitchen drawer – have been a case study in how to stoke insecurities in the name of public safety. The Conservative mayor of London’s latest stunt, supporting the installation of hi-tech scanners known as ‘knife arches’ at train stations, will stand as a physical symbol of the unsafe city.

And so to the other question I asked at the top. Could the panic about something like knife crime be self-fulfilling? If adult society is so insecure, might that not be transmitted to young people? There is really nothing new about teenagers drinking, fighting and upsetting their elders, and many middle-aged commentators today seem to suffer from amnesia about the world in which we grew up. But if knives and weapons were to be more prevalent today, couldn’t that be connected to our social insecurity? When the adult world appears scared of its own shadow, and grown-ups who act like frightened infants offer little sense of community or leadership, it should surely be little wonder that some adolescents say they carry knives for protection. Indeed, when some paranoid parents start sending their children to school in stab vests, the wonder might be that more don’t start ‘carrying’.

Knife crime is real, not an invention of the media. But the panic about knife crime is a problem of a different order. It is important that we maintain a sense of proportion, and locate the real problem where it lies. There is no ‘epidemic’ of young people determined to stab each other. But there is an insecure society where many feel so cut off from one another that they can see the lowest rate of youth homicide in the world as the biggest danger facing Britain. That is a dagger pointing at the heart of our civilisation.