Knife crime thugs leave trail of grief

IN response to correspondence, and columns, on knife crime, there are many reasons behind this (Jayne Dowle, The Yorkshire Post, March 7, and David Behrens, March 9).

For starters, the gratuitous violence shown on TV and at the cinema. Then I feel social media has a deal to answer for. Also, the attitude of some parents who appear to have abdicated all responsibility for their offspring.

Cressida Dick, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, makes the very valid point that the Government-led reduction in police numbers does have a huge bearing on the situation.

Please do not start quoting human rights over these murdering thugs. What about the rights of the children slaughtered for no apparent reason – or the families left with an unfilled gap for the rest of their lives? If you are still in any doubt over this, I suggest you read the book written by Baroness Newlove. She is the Victims’ Commissioner whose husband was murdered on the doorstep by three thugs when he very courageously tackled them.

The way things are going, I can see the death penalty coming back for the most heinous crimes. Why should we pay for these thugs to be kept at our expense for a few years before being released back into the community to reoffend?

YOU are right to draw attention to the lack of a political response to what effectively is now a national crisis on our streets, and within our communities, due to a rise in knife crime (The Yorkshire Post, March 7 and 9).

There is a strong case for the co-ordinated approach to come from the churches of all faiths to recreate the youth club movement that existed previously, especially within the Methodist Church.

Every Methodist Church, whether in a city, town or village, was part of that wonderful network that, like many things, was taken for granted. But its role in the community surrounding the chapel helped keep young people off the streets and safe. If only we had that support structure now.