Wednesday 19 June 2013

Talk Is Great, But Action Is What Works...

Almost 100 crimes in Dartford were committed using weapons in the past year, News Shopper can reveal.
The campaigning mother of Sidcup knife victim Rob Knox says she is not surprised by the figure, obtained through a Freedom of Information request.
I'm not surprised by the figure, either. Though for a very different reason:
She told News Shopper: “From working on the ground with young people it does not surprise me at all, to be quite honest.
“I always say to the kids, 'put your hand up if you know someone who carries a knife'.
“And whatever area, whatever school, be it boys or girls, in what can be perceived a good area, at least 50 per cent of them would put their hand up.
“So this figure doesn’t surprise me at all. It’s quite upsetting.”
Well, you see, Mrs Knox, there's really no consequences to carrying knives any more  The government you cosy up to tells you there is, and promises new legislation, but like all their promises, these prove to be worthless.
Mrs Knox added: “It’s a real uphill battle but I can’t give up.”
Oh, you might as well. The police have, and who can blame them?

5 comments:

Uncle Nick said...

I don't understand why she isn't calling for a total ban on knives. Every other campaigning mother wants to ban something to make themselves feel important, what's different here?

Anonymous said...

When I was a kid it was completely unexceptional for us to carry a penknife. I had a child-sized sheath knife. (and this wasn't in any kind of back-to-nature wilderness)
The idea that any of us would have stabbed each other never seemed to occur to anyone and it didn't happen.

Ranter said...

Dartford? More like Darfur these days..... never mind County Sheriff aka Dartford Roscoe P. Walford is in charge. Well he's spouting the usual plodlybollocks.

Seriously? Roscoe?

JuliaM said...

"I don't understand why she isn't calling for a total ban on knives. "

Give her time!

"When I was a kid it was completely unexceptional for us to carry a penknife."

Me too. But then the punishment for using it for any other purpose than whittling twigs would have been instant and severe.

"Dartford? More like Darfur these days..."

Like a lot of places... :(

John Pickworth said...

When I was a kid it was completely unexceptional for us to carry a penknife.

Same here. Same at school, where any teacher worth his salt wouldn't be found without one with which to sharpen pencils.

Actually, I remember camping in Jersey with a couple of pals when I was around 18. There was a couple of French boys set-up next to us who turned out to be brothers aged 13 and 15, it also transpired they were holidaying on the island on their own. They weren't terribly friendly, a bit standoffish, but we looked out for them anyway. The remarkable thing was, they both carried hunting knives around their waists, and I mean proper full-on items with 9" blades. Me and pals had a little bet on how long it would be before someone (camp site owners or the police) took the knives from them... two weeks later, they were still carrying them everywhere they went. All very Swallows and Amazons but could you imagine the same thing happening today?