Quote Originally Posted by tomm View Post
I've worked on local news in London for the past 5 years. In that time the main constant has been services shutting down, youth clubs closing, charities losing funding. A decade of austerity has consequences - the generation growing up now are the ones who were of the age to no longer have access to good youth clubs, charities, etc.
There's also the factor that every thing kids do goes on social media - meaning that what would have been a minor dispute in the past becomes a hyper-important moment where you have to act tough and save face to avoid being humiliated. That escalates into more violence. And starts rivalries between groups of youngsters.
While some is drug related, the vast majority isn't. It's a vicious circle that needs to be broken - kids don't feel safe, so they carry knives. Kids carrying knives get in fights, as kids do but because they have knives a kid gets stabbed. Other kids don't feel safe, so they carry knives. Ad infinitum.
Sentences don't deter. It's an education issue and a diversion issue - youngsters need help to be funnelled into more positive activities they'll enjoy and that's where you can reach them - boxing clubs, youth centres, etc where role models can help them. But that takes cash.

That's a typical and very wrong analysis of the problems.
Just because a kid, or anyone else, thinks it's necessary to carry a knife or other weapon doesn't mean that we have to convince them differently. What we need to convince them of is that doing so will result in severe consequences.
We really can't get involved in their insane and stupid motivations just because they have decided on a course of conduct which is intolerable .
Sentences do deter, but they know there'll be no serious sentences. In a recent case a South London juvenile , ( you'll probably know the case if you're a local reporter in Croydon), went out to Stevenage to do a robbery ,in the course of which he stabbed a police officer and Police Dog Finn, who nearly died. It led to a change in the Law about stabbing police dogs, but the little shit got a supervision order or something for his crimes.

These stupid schemes involving youth clubs , mentors and airy fairy persuasions are exoensive and they've been going on for a long time, but they DO NOT work. How long before every other variety of criminal, such as bank robbers and serial killers are getting a sympathetic ear from the media about their problems and what led them to their crimes ? Shall we also let the Yorkshire Ripper out and send him on a course run by otherwise unemployable violent offenders who are now too old to attack people ?
What about Jihadists who've murdered people in shopping centres and tourist centres ? Shall we send them to an Islamist stamp collecting club or something ?

We hear this bollocks endlessly from the liberal media and chattering classes but in the mean time normal people have to go about their lawful business in areas like South London in fear of being randomly stabbed or caught up in some mindless post code attack.
.....and what happens ? More talk of insufficient youth clubs ..........!