I believe it is the teenagers comitting the crimes who are members of gangs that are the route cause and problem of this topic. Their uneducation and limited respect they have for anyone else but themselves is a big problem and seems to be linked with their family life and financial situations. I think that a curfew for ALL under 18s needs to be put in place so that no hanging around the streets is allowed and fines or even arrest is the punishment. Places of solitude where these teenagers can go and enjoy themselves with friends is a good idea. Anything to discourage young people to hang around the streets and cause trouble or dislike someone just for coming from another area or postcode! Gangs and looking up to those in gangs is also promoted, I feel, through the culture of rap music - they rap about guns and gangs as though it is 'cool' to be a part of such a culture. The youth of today are the adults of tomorrow (if they make it past 20 years old) and that I feel is the most worrying part of it all - will they become the adult versions of the knife wielding, gun toting teenagers they are now?!
These thugs are mainly from bad families and from a bad environment. It all starts with the family. If they were brought up to respect other people, the Police, their school and neighbours, then they may stand a chance of standing up to peer pressure. As it is they run riot from an early age and fear no one. Unfortunately we live in a namby pamby society full of people in power who put human rites before common sense. If we make prison a place to fear that would be a start. I hear people say prison does no good, it is just a training ground etc. But not in my prison. The would not be aloud to have contact or talk with other cons and they would have to talk to visitors through glass screens. Prisons should be prisons, not youth clubs. There is little we can do with those running amok today. It will take at least two generations for the core family unit and discipline to return.
Youth crime has always been around were do you thing the story "Oliver Twist" comes from. I do believe that there is nowhere or nothing for young people do as 20 years ago it was the same for me. The real problem could come from the fact that parents have to work today , and that there is no-one at home for the youngest to feed them and keep them in order. Other the past 30-40 years all of the authorithy figures i.e Teacher, Police have had there powers taken away from them and youngest know that, I remember still be caned back in the early 80's or getting a clip/slap from a copper if they caught me up to no good I not saying that this is right but for every action that I did there was a consequence which I understood - If I was rude to a teacher I could get the cane or the slipper - if I was caught by the police I could get a slap as well as nicked. If you carry a knife its only a short period of time before it will be used, let these kids that want to play at being gangsters/foot soliders force them into the army for 5 years let them see what war is really about . I agree we need zero tolerance and all of these kids that are blaming there enviroment or that they are black and have no other choice is crap they have the same chances / opportunities as everyone else just that they need to try a bit harder and actually work for the things that they want in life as anything that comes for free or easy always has a catch to it just look a there gangster lifestyle dead by 20 is it worth it
No one should be allowed to carry a weapon that way no one has a need to carry a weapon. I think that they are not taking a serious enough stance on it and unfortunately are trying to address it too late. They need to seriously crack down. There need to be more metal detectors around and those found carrying a weapon need to go to jail, no questions asked as there is no valid reason for carrying a knife around with you on your person. You are either looking for trouble or going to get into trouble so you are not helping yourself either way and just endangering everyone else around you.
I genuinely fear that we are in an inescapable decline and that the situation is just going to get ever worse. The book and movie “A Clockwork Orange” were quite prophetic, some parts of Bristol resemble that movie in that they are complete no go zones terrorised by gangs of youths, shame that the thugs of the real world aren’t at least as cultured as the Droog’s, but they certainly share the same desensitised attitude to violence and a incomprehensible language that only they can understand. The police and the government are far too powerless to do anything about the situation, so expect the worst.
I don't think anyone would say anything other than the knife crime situation is appalling, young people killing young people, adults being scared to tackle youths - things really are messed up. I guess there are many factors which contrubute to changes in the society. I think the media plays a large part of the problem highlighting the problems for other youths to read and to find out that the police has limited powers and that adults are scared to confront people. I think that there is a lack of consequences for young people (well people in general in the UK) we get everything given to us on a plate. There is no discipline for children, bring back canning!!! Also we have developed more of a US style gang culture which means people are prepared to kill others for looking the wrong way or something similiar.
Youth crime has always existed. I think these days, as there is more media coverage it seems as if things have escalated rapidly. Think of the film 'A Clockwork Orange' made back in 1971, it touched on gang mentality, and is not so far off from how things have become. I think there is a trend, influenced by certain genres of music 'Rap' springs to mind that glamorises this type of behaviour . So many bands are irresponsible when it comes to the messages they convey. Curfews sound like a great idea on paper, but bearing in mind just how rebellious 'some' teenagers aspire to be, it would take a while to get things in order. Things would get much worse before they got better, I think. Yes, places are needed to keep teens entertained and interested in doing something creative and positive with their time. And for the Plebians that blame kinfe or gun crime on black people, if they actually looked at what WAS happening and not at what they want to see, it's happening amongst all races.
You have a point magnius, I read Clockwork Orange years ago but never dreamt we would see a similar scenario on our streets. I also agree with sophia ,and I am all for zero tolerance coming in - it cleaned New York up - and drastic situations call for drastic solutions. I think a lot of these kids with knives would be relieved to see zero tolerance come into force...many of them are carrying knives jsut coz they feel so unsafe themselves.
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