Knife Crime: Stop Search. LBC

I got a bit lost today speaking to @mrjamesob (weekdays 10am - 1pm) @LBC, on the topic of Knife Crime and the discussion about whether Stop/Search is a successful measure in preventing knife crime by removing them from the streets. I rang in to say why it wasn't.

I figured he might ask me then, what I thought would be a solution to the recent rise in knife crime and I was busy trying to think of an effective policy when I was live on air and momentarily lost my trail of thought!

Stop/Search would only be acceptable if it was properly targeted at known gang members and previously convicted criminals, which of course, is heavily reliant on the good intelligence and local knowledge of police officers coupled with enough of them out walking their communities and not banged up in the office with 6 months of paperwork before they are let out on good behaviour.

If it was targeted specifically at known individuals and not the random lazyass way it has been employed in the past, there might be more successful convictions for the offense, better relations with young people who are just minding their own business and less chance of fear being a factor in people carrying defensively, which is what I used to do.

I went into care at 5, stayed in care until 8 when I went back 'home'. Totally friken excited as my mum had cleaned herself up and we were a family again but I ended up coming back into care a week later. From that point I stopped speaking to and trusting everyone. I was silent for 5 years until 13, I was distant, aggressive and vulnerable. I knew I was vulnerable because I saw what happened to other people and so I started to carry a knife to defend myself. I didn't see I had a choice.

If social services had adequate protective policies in place I probably wouldn't have started carrying one but at that time, the only answer they had was to move me! This makes kids more at risk from sick fucks because you are the new kid again and you have to learn quickly about the people you're living with.

If the police had an effective strategy in dealing with knife crime, then a ton of other people wouldn't feel they needed to leave the house with what they see as a protective weapon.

At 13 I had started to lean kick boxing and never looked back. It's my fitness thing and my confident safeguard in fighting off any idiot who gets in my face and won't go away when politely asked to. I will be teaching my girl kickboxing and my step son is well able to deal with people. His dad already taught him.

All kids should be taught self-defense.