Austerity at heart of knife scourge

■ THE Tories are in denial if they don’t accept that austerity, 21,000 fewer police officers, and cuts to education and youth services haven’t contributed to a rise in violent crime.

Excluding problem children from school, the criminalisation of drugs, pointless short prison sentences, a shambolic privatised probation service, poor mental heath provision, the lack of positive role models and the normalisation of violence in our society are also factors.

Successive governments have created a broken society where many young people have little chance of social mobility or a prosperous life via normal routes. They see a rigged system where those with power and wealth keep it for themselves.

Too many shortcuts to power, prestige and success via weapons, gang membership and drug-dealing look appealing. We need a fairer society if we want to tackle this. Brett Grainger, Rugeley, Staffs

■ Many of today’s teens have grown up under Tory austerity and life chances have been severely curtailed by cuts to welfare, education and support received by previous generations. If these kids are lucky enough to go to university they end up with debts of more than £50,000. Others who complete vocational training have no hope of a decent job at the end of it. It’s little wonder these teenagers are falling prey to gang culture as they fight for survival in a world that doesn’t care. The knife crisis is undeniably the result of Conservative austerity and my thanks to the people and charities heroically trying to offer support under difficult conditions. Eddie Fidler, Oxford

■ While parliament descends into chaos over Brexit, our young people are dying on the streets. As usual, our blinkered Government is in denial.

Tory cuts to youth clubs and school funding are leaving kids free to roam the streets where they are easy prey for drug gangs. Every politician should get behind The Mirror’s campaign to end knife crime. M Cross, Wirral, Merseyside

■ Time to be realistic when tackling knife crime. We need metal detectors for public arenas and increased stop and search. Drugs and gangs are behind much of this, so we need more police on the ground and zero tolerance.

Roger Warwick, Huddersfield West Yorks

■ The £100million extra funding announced in the Chancellor’s Spring Statement (Mirror, March 14) is for overtime, not more officers. They are not robots. It is inevitable tired officers will make mistakes. Sid Thompson, Whitley Bay Tyne and Wear

■ It used to be that children weren’t responsible until they were 21, but now it seems kids of any age can commit a crime without parents carrying any responsibility. If they were held partly responsible, knife crime would decrease.

Chris Grogan, Skelmersdale Lancs

■ The law should change so anyone with a knife with no legal reason should be arrested and held until appearing in court the next day. If they can’t give a reason, they should be sentenced to five years in prison.

R A Jordan, Honiton, Devon