Five-fold increase in knife offences (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)
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Five-fold increase in knife offences
10:18pm Thursday 9th July 2009 in
The number of people convicted for carrying knives in West Yorkshire has risen five-fold in ten years – faster than any other area.
In 1998 courts across the region convicted 38 people compared with 190 in 2007. The number of people being found guilty has risen year on year in the ten-year period with the biggest increase from 108 to 172 in 2003-04.
Nationally convictions rose by 62 per cent from 3,805 to 6,169 in the ten years.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling, who obtained the figures from a parliamentary answer, said: “Knife crime blights our society.
"The figures are awful for the Government as they show yet again how Labour Ministers have failed to get knives off our streets.
“We have to create a real disincentive for people who carry knives, and the fact that the supposed tough sentences just aren’t happening sends out all the wrong messages.
"The Government also needs to stop wrapping up our police in unnecessary paperwork and get more officers back on to the streets.”
Ministers say crime and violent crime has fallen by a third in ten years but accepted more needed to be done to rid the streets of knives.
They said the increase in convictions for knife crime, reflected the Government’s tough response to violent crime – not a rise in crime itself.
A Home Office spokesman said: “We know that gun, gang and knife crime continues to devastate families, communities and neighbourhoods. That is why we remain fully committed to tackling gang culture, and gun and knife crime, through responsive policing, tough powers and funding for prevention projects.
“According to the British Crime Survey (BCS) the number of violent incidents has fallen by nearly half (48 per cent) since 1995.”
Earlier this year it was revealed Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Bradford Royal Infirmary and St Luke’s Hospital, collates data on knife crime cases but does not pass it on.
West Yorkshire is one of 12 knife crime hotspots being targeted by Government.
Comments(15)
bigo93
says...
12:36am Fri 10 Jul 09
They left me with the task of phoning them if I see the guy at the house again! What does this say about the police's reation to knife crimes?
ROFLLMAO
says...
12:58am Fri 10 Jul 09
Schoey100
says...
1:53am Fri 10 Jul 09
The Main Man
says...
7:43am Fri 10 Jul 09
They know the police have little power to do anything until the dog bites someone.
In queensbury this go on all the time.
lanzaman
says...
11:09am Fri 10 Jul 09
Rambo
says...
12:12pm Fri 10 Jul 09
Too much paperwork and fears of politcal correctness for stop and searches, methinks.
And at the same time they are unable to name potentially dangerous men on the run.
I do find it funny in a way when then announce on here they are going to be using knife arches, then say exactly where they are going to be.
Juice Terry
says...
12:24pm Fri 10 Jul 09
Never mind the streets. They sell them in shops! Labour Ministers need to pull their fingers out and start getting hold of these knives before people get sliced up like a thick wedge of luncheon meat.
Juice Terry
says...
2:29pm Fri 10 Jul 09
Iona Cortina
says...
7:31pm Fri 10 Jul 09
albion
says...
9:36pm Fri 10 Jul 09
Iona Cortina wrote:If you read the T&A recently you will have seen a good number of reports and convictions for knife and gun crimes that definitely did not involve people from those areas, so much of the blame lies elsewhere, and your post is another pathetic attempt at provocation.
The blame solely lies with the racist BNP animals, in hell-holes like Holmewood, Buttershaw, Queensbury...
ms walker
says...
10:44pm Fri 10 Jul 09
It's not the government's fault; it's not the school's fault. I don't even think it's the parent's fault.
The problem, as I see it, is the cultural shift in the use/purpose of knives. We have failed our children if they feel they need to carry a knife because they are scared not to, or if the only thing that gives them value is the misconceived 'respect' they think they earn from their ability to kill or wound another person with a sharp bit of metal.
So, if I have to apportion blame, then I blame mass media. I blame gobby a***hole 'gangsta cultcha'. I blame mainstream films that promote lightweight comedic violence and numb the horror of taking lives and giving pain. Our culture has trivialised violent behaviour and has given our sons a twisted view of manliness and honour.
The creative industries will not take responsibility for the messages they put out - after all, sex and violence is 'easy' subject matter. It appeals to us on a very basic level; you don't need to think about it.
And bad behaviour warrants storylines. Being good is boring.
I don't believe in censorship, but it's proven that what we view affects the way we think. We need to take responsibility collectively and challenge the effect that mass-media has on us and our children.
When I was a child
I was given knives - as were many other children. How else could you cut string or whittle wood? It was part of growing up, and the worst thing you were going to do with it was acccidently stick it in yourself (as I did...) You wouldn't dream of using it on someone else. It would be cowardly.
Patrick Bateman
says...
11:29pm Fri 10 Jul 09
Iona Cortina wrote:Congratulations Iona: you've officially become the laughing stock of the site.
The blame solely lies with the racist BNP animals, in hell-holes like Holmewood, Buttershaw, Queensbury...
Iona Cortina
says...
12:27pm Sat 11 Jul 09
Patrick Bateman wrote:I'm sorry, but I disagree.
Iona Cortina wrote:Congratulations Iona: you've officially become the laughing stock of the site.
The blame solely lies with the racist BNP animals, in hell-holes like Holmewood, Buttershaw, Queensbury...
tyker
says...
8:23am Mon 13 Jul 09
Only weeks ago we were told by the police that the streets were safe, that violent crime had gone down and that they were on top of all such illegal activity as were the council:so much on top of such events they could concentrate on litter.
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albion says...
10:23pm Thu 9 Jul 09