Yahoo News Evening Standard Comment: We must tackle root causes of knife crime
After each horrific teen stabbing in the capital, there is a hauntingly familiar pattern.
The young life lost, the devastated parents whose souls will never be whole again, the traumatised children, and the question: what can be done to end the violence?
As part of his new Beating Crime Plan, the Prime Minister will today announce a permanent relaxation of the rules governing Section 60 stop and search powers, through which police officers can search people in a defined area during a specific time period when they believe, with good reason, that serious violence will occur and it is necessary to use this power to prevent such violence.
This follows a nationwide pilot which had previously lowered the bar for imposing Section 60 orders.
This newspaper has consistently supported the judicious and intelligence-led use of stop and search because it is one of the few ways police can prevent stabbings once a person has decided to pick up a knife.
The real solution, however, is stopping people from doing that in the first place. As the Met said last month, preventing violence must be a communal effort. But much more needs to be done to change the knife-carrying culture that prevails in some parts of our city.
The public health approach to knife crime, something we have campaigned for and since adopted by the Mayor, is an opportunity to tackle underlying causes. We must also see greater central government funding for services such as youth clubs and mental health provision.
Indeed, our investigations have revealed a “perfect storm”, with children facing eight-month waits before getting the mental support they need. Meanwhile for the Met, having power does not mean it should be used indiscriminately.
With the capital on track to break an unwanted record on teenage murders, stop and search remains a vital tool. But it does not address the root causes of knife crime.
From the rise in permanent school exclusions to the crisis in mental health provision, it will take more than Section 60 to bring our knife crime epidemic to an end.
Read More
New crackdown on middle class drug users- plus more stop and search
Government defends ‘big impact’ of Stop and Search on knife crime
Police stop and search powers to be boosted under crackdown
Police chief defends stop and search but acknowledges disproportionality
