Give us extra police to stamp out knife crime
Knife crime is spreading across the country like a cancer. Young lives are being needlessly lost. Much of the violence is drugs and gang-related, but those in authority, such as London Mayor Sadiq Khan, offer pious words rather than solutions.
The Government is failing to rectify a shortfall in police officers. In turn, those officers are loath to effectively use their stop-and-search powers for fear of upsetting community sensitivities. Meanwhile, courts seem to be divorced from reality and do not treat knife crime with the severity it deserves.
This spiral can only lead to more deaths of young people. There should surely be more intervention at local level to educate the young about the consequences of carrying a weapon, together with effective enforcement.
It’s a battle that must be won. Bob MacDougall, Kippen, Stirlingshire As usual, the answer is obvious but ignored by politicians. Cancel projects such as HS2 and put the money saved into hiring more police officers. Robert St John Crabtree, Brixworth, Northamptonshire There is certainly some truth in the fact that crime has increased since fewer police officers are now on the beat and there is a higher chance of crimes going undetected and unpunished. But this does not tell the whole story.
There is little invested in youth projects, and it would appear that many young men who lack ambition are finding identity and selfempowerment through crime. They feel their life has little value and it follows that no one else’s does either.
It is a very worrying state of affairs but a problem in which the whole of society needs to play a part to find a solution.
It may be time to introduce a mandatory life sentence for those committing fatal knife attacks. We cannot let this situation continue.
Diane Silva, Bournemouth We are constantly reminded of police shortages, so I suggest that, come the annual party conferences, no police are in attendance. Let the politicians feel the insecurity we feel. Peter Crane, Staplehay, Somerset It seems the violence on our streets is impossible for the police to control. This is the job of our Army and the troops we spend millions of pounds training. Christine Housden, Saffron Walden Tackling T gun and knife k crime is not as easy as throwing more police on the streets. st We have seen stabbings st in places where wh you would not put pu police patrols. There T is also a generation of people who have grown up thinking they are entitled to the latest gadget, being able to spend on whatever they want, and not accepting responsibility or trying to improve their lives by thinking of others and not themselves. Celebrity TV has encouraged this ‘getting something for nothing’ culture. L. Smith, Walsall Theresa May says more police officers patrolling our streets would not reduce knife crime. How can she possibly know this? However, a fact she does know is that the current level of policing isn’t reducing knife crime. So let’s face more facts, Theresa. You’re not a policewoman. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick is a policewoman. And she disagrees with you. Peter Bryant, Ramsgate, Kent