Mate, you need to get a grip. Wtf are you harping in about.? So what if you have the moral fibres to carry a knife and not use it.
I lived in London for 20 years before moving to Norway. South East London in fact, look it up and you will see it is a high area for knife crime.
All the so called experts on here are talking about drugs, crime etc. Yes they may be part of the problem but it runs much deeper than that.
It is all about respect.
A lack of respect for anyone older than you.
A lack of respect for anyone in authority.
Earning respect with their piers and elders.
Making someone respect the area/crew you hang with.
Teaching someone respect after they have disrespected your crew, fam or the area you hang out.
The amount of youths that are stabbed just for disrespecting another on their turf is unreal. ‘They need to be shown’ is the mindset of the attacker, never mind the consequences.
My neighbour was stabbed 5 times with a Samurai sword when some local yoots tried to gate crash his little sisters 18’th birthday party. The dad was also laid out with some 4x2 timber to the head.
Why? Because some little shit had never been told he couldn’t have something. They are not used to hearing the word No!
I have my ideas relating to inner city crime. Lots of the youths on the estates are a product of baby fathers. I.e. the dad isn’t around. The mother may have a number of kids and usually the younger they are the more time is required. Leaving teenagers to roam free and get involved in gang culture. Yes, that might involve drugs or other crimes but sometimes it is just a simple matter of a kid being in the wrong area and being spotted, he gets stabbed for his error.
As for a solution, I don’t know! Something to try and get a father figure back in their lives. I think boxing and martial arts is great for kids... lots of gyms in a south East London have received recognition for the work they do with the kids from troublesome areas.
Maybe introduce boxing back into the curriculum?
National service would certainly teach a bit of respect as well.
So IME and IMHO stop and search should be done. If they are carrying a blade regardless, it should be the same sentence as if they had used for wrong. Schools in my area had security guards and metal detectors at the entrances.
Same goes for Acid. Kids in the local schools are now taking Acid in sports bottles as you can’t search every kids with a drink.
So AHPP are you still going to argue that kids should be allowed to carry knives?