Stop the crime wave

i AM angry at the short-sightedness of people who object to stop and search. London is facing an emergency because of the rise in stabbings, so why tie the hands of the police?

The politically correct brigade should forget principles for once and recognise the seriousness of this terrible situation.

E. BRYAN, Little Baddow, Essex. DAViD LAMMY MP thinks that increasing stop and search would damage relations with Britain’s ethnic minorities.

He says he was stopped and searched frequently as a teenager and was terrified by it.

But surely we should be using this policy more rigorously if it has been proven to save lives. if you have done nothing wrong and are not carrying a weapon, what have you got to fear?

As Trevor Phillips’s thoughtful article (Mail) pointed out, most of the killings have been carried out by black youths on black teenagers.

HAZEL PIMM, Clevedon, Somerset. TOugH new measures are urgently needed to halt the rise in shootings and stabbings.

gangs will never be deterred by holiday camp-style prison. We need detention centres run along the lines of American boot camps to make thugs think twice about lawbreaking.

After spending time in a strictly disciplined environment run on military lines, they will never wish to serve a second term. Those of us who did national Service can vouch for the benefits of discipline. NORMAN WANSTALL,

Burford, Worcs. THE photos of guns and knives seized by the Met in just one week during stop and search (Mail) were impressive, but told only half the story.

i am sure it would be interesting reading if the police were to publish, in due course, what happened to the offenders. i wonder how many will receive a custodial sentence?

PATRICK BURKE, London EC2.