Idris Elba: Our Knife Crime Crisis

[rbrowning2]

they can also carry long screwdrivers or chisels, how do they plan to remove the point from them ?
 

[Edtwozeronine]

Seems to be a city centric problem, London mostly but city centres in general. Things like machetes shouldn't be banned as they're legitimate woodland tools in the right hands, good for deliming trees, or removing ivy when you're out logging. But oh some nutters kill people with them, they should be banned! Thinks some city slicker in Parliament who has no idea about such things...

 

Annoys the snot out of me!

[Scully]

I like Idris Elba, but knives are only a symptom of a problem which goes much deeper, and to suggest knives are blunted is as naive and ineffectual as banning online sales of zombie knives etc etc. 

We have a problem in this country which has manifested itself as a knife problem, but it isn’t. 
What makes people, the vast majority of whom are school age kids, seem more than willing to stab to death another person for little or no excuse? 
I can understand the self defence excuse, because if you live in an environment where you deal drugs for a living you’re going to need something to use as a deterrent, but stabbing to death a young girl on a bus because she slighted you, or another because she finished with you ( and this isn’t primarily a black problem ) is simply and totally beyond my comprehension. 
The problem isn’t knives, and you can’t legislate a way out of this. 

[islandgun]

2 minutes ago, Scully said:

I like Idris Elba, but knives are only a symptom of a problem which goes much deeper, and to suggest knives are blunted is as naive and ineffectual as banning online sales of zombie knives etc etc. 

We have a problem in this country which has manifested itself as a knife problem, but it isn’t. 
What makes people, the vast majority of whom are school age kids, seem more than willing to stab to death another person for little or no excuse? 
I can understand the self defence excuse, because if you live in an environment where you deal drugs for a living you’re going to need something to use as a deterrent, but stabbing to death a young girl on a bus because she slighted you, or another because she finished with you ( and this isn’t primarily a black problem ) is simply and totally beyond my comprehension. 
The problem isn’t knives, and you can’t legislate a way out of this. 

Listening to this in the car this a.m one lad interviewed sighted bullying (amongst other things) as his reason for carrying a knife, it made him feel big, hard to legislate that

 

[daveboy]

A screwdriver will go in easier than a knife.

[Mice!]

Always makes me laugh on here when folk comment that they've never heard of someone, had to Google to find out his age but at 52 it's not as if he's some wet behind the ears pup just out of school.

If you've not watched Luther on BBC then treat yourself, before that he was in the Wire and people thought he was American his accent was so good, the program was multi award winning.

Born in Hackney so I'm pretty sure he's going to have a good idea of the current knife problem,  and if using someone who is also a rapper * no idea about his music * gets young lads to watch and listen then good luck.

[McSpredder]

How long would it take to convert a round-ended kitchen knife into a pointed one?    Maybe 15 minutes rubbing on a doorstep?  

Perhaps it is time to ban doorsteps.

 

[JohnfromUK]

9 minutes ago, Mice! said:

Always makes me laugh on here when folk comment that they've never heard of someone

I watch very little TV and even less films.  I only 'picked up' on Idris Elba because it was on radio and he was interviewed. I don't recall hearing his name before (and I think I might remember as it's an unusual name).  I have also never heard of the programmes Luther or Wire.   My TV watching time has always been fairly low and is probably even less now as I get older. 

Elba seems to be well thought of, but just because you are good at your profession doesn't mean that you are the best person to be handling a complex issue like the knife crime issue here.  I hope that he can do good, but ideas like having rounded ends on kitchen knives and licensing for all knives (which was mentioned, but not sure Elba was responsible for/promoting that idea) do not give me a good feeling that he understands that a 'solution' needs to be practical and capable of implementation.  That has proved illusive so far and I cannot see how that situation is going to change, but I'm fairly sure that having blunt ends on kitchen knives and 'licensing for all knives' is not practical.

[GrayA]

If you want to start to deal with knife crime, you have to look at funding services for young people, youth centres, activity workshops, education and jobs... and start enforcing the law on drugs... cops around here totally ignore people smoking dope....

One scheme for young people out of prison was to put them with ex Para's in Wales, they took part in various outdoor stuff, quickly realising they weren't so tough... the ex officers running this then got them jobs with other ex forces who had started their own businesses.

Had a very high success rate.... this scheme was closed down in the mid 90s..... cuts to justice budget.

You can never limit the supply of knives, there are millions of them out there already... even if you could, people would just find something else to kill and maim with, as has already been pointed out eg stabbings in Prisons...

Edited Wednesday at 13:24 by GrayA

[Mice!]

32 minutes ago, JohnfromUK said:

Elba seems to be well thought of, but just because you are good at your profession doesn't mean that you are the best person to be handling a complex issue like the knife crime issue here

He'll just be the person talking and interviewing, bringing the topic up once again, he'll probably have opinions though, but I doubt putting rounded ends on knives is one of them.

Who would you suggest? A footballer or boxer? Imagine if it was some pompous MP trying to tell us about knife crime 😳

[Penelope]

1 hour ago, Scully said:

( and this isn’t primarily a black problem )

No, but it does stem from black street gang culture.

Being a 'Roadman' gives street cred and 'respec'!

1 hour ago, Mice! said:

Always makes me laugh on here when folk comment that they've never heard of someone, had to Google to find out his age but at 52 it's not as if he's some wet behind the ears pup just out of school.

If you've not watched Luther on BBC then treat yourself, before that he was in the Wire and people thought he was American his accent was so good, the program was multi award winning.

Born in Hackney so I'm pretty sure he's going to have a good idea of the current knife problem,  and if using someone who is also a rapper * no idea about his music * gets young lads to watch and listen then good luck.

He's a bit of a house music DJ.

Edited Wednesday at 13:49 by Penelope

[JohnfromUK]

10 minutes ago, Mice! said:

Who would you suggest?

I can't suggest anyone.  It is an area I know nothing about (other that what I get from the media).  But rounding kitchen knives and licensing knives isn't practical - that I do know.

[Dougy]

Woukd be a good start to make prison less pleasant. 

Stop and search who the police want to without any accusations if racial discrimination. Anyone found carrying charge them. 

[Westley]

Then after all of the work and effort to get them to Court, they get suspended sentences because the prisons are full.

Edited Wednesday at 23:06 by Westley

[Mice!]

9 minutes ago, Westley said:

Then after all of the work and effort to get them to Court, they get suspended sentences because the prisons are full.

Which begs the question why bother 🤷‍♂️

A suspended sentence is pointless, how about confiscating things? Take their cars? Forced hard labour for 6 months?

There needs to be a deterrent that is enforced.

Slightly off topic, but this popped up earlier. 

I wonder if there are similar maps for knife crime across Britain?

[old man]

15 hours ago, JohnfromUK said:

I watch very little TV and even less films.  I only 'picked up' on Idris Elba because it was on radio and he was interviewed. I don't recall hearing his name before (and I think I might remember as it's an unusual name).  I have also never heard of the programmes Luther or Wire.   My TV watching time has always been fairly low and is probably even less now as I get older. 

Elba seems to be well thought of, but just because you are good at your profession doesn't mean that you are the best person to be handling a complex issue like the knife crime issue here.  I hope that he can do good, but ideas like having rounded ends on kitchen knives and licensing for all knives (which was mentioned, but not sure Elba was responsible for/promoting that idea) do not give me a good feeling that he understands that a 'solution' needs to be practical and capable of implementation.  That has proved illusive so far and I cannot see how that situation is going to change, but I'm fairly sure that having blunt ends on kitchen knives and 'licensing for all knives' is not practical.

Correct John, possibly the bbc were in collaboration over this? There appears to be a push in that arena towards being seen as investigative not just reporting?

 

[Penelope]

Found it!!

 

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Is that Dead End City?

Edited 7 hours ago by TIGHTCHOKE

[ShootingEgg]

So here are two of my chef knives. One meat one for veg ..

The rounded edge is going to do as much if not more damage in my opinion if used on the wrong hands.