If you need urgent support, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. To contact our Crisis Messenger (open 24/7) text THEMIX to 85258.
Read the community guidelines before posting ✨
Home Office #KnifeFree campaign: what’s your take?
Former Member
Posts: 487 Listening Ear
Here at @The Mix, we’ve been discussing this tweet from the Home Office official twitter account. The tweet is part of an ongoing campaign to tackle knife crime, after the massive surge in knife-related deaths, by sharing stories of those it has impacted. The personal stories are printed on boxes which will be distributed from a number of popular takeaway chicken shops.
MPs and public figures have branded the move "offensive", calling out the campaign for it's racist overtones.
What do you think about the campaign? What should be done to tackle knife crime?
MPs and public figures have branded the move "offensive", calling out the campaign for it's racist overtones.
Dal Babu, a former chief superintendent with the Metropolitan Police, said: "This initiative seeks to target chicken shops because the assumption is that's where young black people go.
"There's a racial element to it - it stereotypes people, it's patronising and I can understand why people see it as racist."
Check out the full story here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-49352330"There's a racial element to it - it stereotypes people, it's patronising and I can understand why people see it as racist."
What do you think about the campaign? What should be done to tackle knife crime?
0
Comments
To put it in perspective the youth centre I work at up until 4 years ago they ran a summer programme for 13+ - Monday to Wednesday based at the centre 10-4 and Friday we was taken on trips and we paid what £20 for the 4 weeks they ran this because we had enough of the funding from the council to do this and yet for the last 4 years our funding gets slowly cut lower and Lower to the point off we can only open 2 and half hours maybe 3 hours , for 2 days a week (Tuesday and Wednesday ). Whereas we used to be open 4-8 Tuesday and Wednesday and 3-6 on a Thursday and have needed to cut the age range they run the older club from around 21 down to 17.
And the chicken shop things really ? Because that’s the assumption where black young people go , no offence but would they be making assumptions that you’d find white young people in day the chip shop or the pizza shop.
people moan that young people are getting in trouble , there terrosing people , taking over spaces for young children yet there the ones that cut the funding to youth services which provide somewhere for them to go so find the logic in that ! 🙄
I think the extreme would be to only selling these knifes in shops
TRIGGER WARNING just incase 🙂(picture of a knife)
Although I still see that as dangerous apperntly it's harder to hurt someone with it and lot less fatal. And works totally fine as knife should in a kitchen because it's rounded
The problem is cultural and so the fix must be cultural too. Further investment for social services in poorer areas and increased funding for the police are the two obvious measures that are needed.
You're absolutely spot on about our underfunded youth services. I have some personal experience both as a recipient and a volunteer with my local community centre - resources are woefully lacking. I have no doubt that the government are well aware of the connection.
Don't worry about getting something wrong! Everyone is welcome to share their views
Knife crime is a gang culture problem. Not a problem with certain types of knives. Gang culture is appealing to disenfranchised youngsters. To solve that requires investment in young people, especially young people from poorer areas.
Some good ideas there @Aidan, especially the focus on rehabilitation and incentives. What do you think of the Word 4 Weapons knife surrender bins?
I think you're right about getting to the heart of the issue @Past User - a lot of young people carry knives because they feel threatened or have been threatened into doing it. Like @Skive says, it's all about steering youngsters away from gangs.
Another thing in the news recently has been about taking the pointy end of knives away to prevent stabbings and decrease knife crime, however I feel the knifes will still be used to slash someone.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/09/24/britains-first-stab-proof-kitchen-knife-launced-bid-combat-knife/
What's your opinion on this?
I hope this is the right thread to post this. Didn't want to make a new one when a thread about knife crime is already here.
It's a gang cultural problem and needs to be addressed as such.