I'll Tell You What 'The Reasons' Are, Hamida...

Hamida Ali, Labour cabinet member for Safer Croydon and Communities, today emphasised the need to balance robust sentencing for violent offenders with measures to rehabilitate them.

The violent offender she's pontificating about is this charming fellow.

Councillor Ali said: "Robust enforcement is hugely important and will need to include custodial sentences.

"The judge seems to have taken into account significant contextual factors in coming to her decision, particularly the traumatic experience the defendant suffered in the run up to the attack.

"When we commit someone to a sentence, we have to consider what else we can do to get to grips with the reasons why they commit violence and use weapons, so when the come out they won't reoffend.

"It is as important as the message that a deterrent sends out to the community."

We know the reasons why people like him commit their offences. It's because there's always people like you seeking to absolve them of responsibility for them...

Councillor Ali, representing Woodside, says it is crucial that the work of police and the courts is coupled with a longer term social strategy.

"There is a public consensus that the public health approach is the best."

Is there? Have you asked the public, then?

"There's no one organisation alone that will be able to stop this."

The prison service would do it. If people like you didn't get in their way.

"Elements of the public approach will not be popular as one part of it is the length of commitment we have to make to an area. It's a ten year strategy."

Even Mao only had a 5 Year Plan!