New laws to tackle crimewave
answered in your hordes.
Here is a selection of your comments:
Andi Christopher Anyone carrying a knife in public, should ultimately be given a five year jail sentence, no court case, just sent away, that would set an example to those thinking of inflicting harm on others.
Kelly-Marie Stevens I know of someone arrested and charged for possession of a knife they got 6 months suspended. Its disgraceful it should carry an immediate sentence especially with all the weapon related crime these days.
Lynne Farren - Anyone caught in public with a knife should get an automatic jail sentence regardless, and should have to do the whole sentence. If they carry a knife they intend to use it. Carole Barker - You take a knife out with you then your going to use it, jail anyone who is carrying knives straight away, no excuses.
Terry Johntson Prison time, or where’s the deterrent. A fear factor is needed.
Gary Gardener - Any deadly weapon carried about in public... go straight to jail. Five years minimum... zero tolerance!
India Mackey - Carry a knife get life simple as that.
Robert Carroll - If not using knives and just carrying I say no to prison as when I was younger in scouts I always carried a multi-tool with a knife on it for survival like camp fires, cutting off berries. If found with a knife take them to the station and see what purpose it’s for.
A number of charities across the country help lead the fight against knife crime and a major part of what they do is educating people - particularly young people on why they shouldn’t carry a knife in the first place.
Among them is the The Ben Kinsella Trust, set up in memory of the 16-year-old who was stabbed to death in London in June 2008.
When asked about sentences for those who carry a knife, the charity’s CEO, Patrick Green, said: “No child is born carrying a knife, it is a learned behaviour.
“We need to do far more to educate and support our young people away from knife crime. We shouldn’t wait until they start to carry knives to act. We need to start earlier, much earlier.
“At the Ben Kinsella Trust we have been educating schoolchildren as young as 10, helping them understand the risks associated with carrying a knife and how to make better choices to stay safe.
“Our work shows that this approach works by strengthening good peer norms and values and in some cases helping young people to turn their lives around.
“Enforcement is not the only answer to this problem, prevention has to be big part of the solution.”
Anyone caught in public with a knife should get an automatic jail sentence regardless