Community justice pilots get the go ahead

Six areas in the UK are to pilot citizens panels to suggest community sentences for local offenders. Leicester, Manchester, Suffolk, Hampshire, Wiltshire and north Wales are the areas chosen and if the pilots are successful the initiative will go country wide.
The scheme has been initiated in the wake of Louise Casey's report to the Government which showed there was a need for communities to be involved in the justice process.

Don't back down David!

Society is broken, not just fractured in places, broken so badly that the bone protrudes from the skin and a series of operations is needed to repair it!
Imagine for a second that you had a knife in your hand, could you just casually thrust out your arm and take a life away without a thought for the person you were attacking? Without a thought for the family and friends that are left to grieve for a life cut short - perhaps a life that would have been used to cure cancer or write the next classic novel?
There are people who can, they must be dead on the inside. Society needs to be fixed. It needs more than a band-aid.

Times London Teenage Murder Victims

2008 murders (before September 16th)

January 1: Henry Bolombi, 17, dies from a single stab wound to the chest after being attacked as he walked home in Edmonton, North London, after celebrating New Year

January 5: Faridon Alizada, 18, of Bexley, south-east London, dies from three stab wounds to the chest after being attacked in Verona House, a tower block in Erith

January 21: Boduka Mudianga, 18, known by his middle name Louis, stabbed to death in street brawl in Silver Street, Edmonton

January 26: Fuad Buraleh, 19, of Hayes, Middlesex, dies from head injury inflicted after he got off a bus in Dean Gardens, Uxbridge Road, Ealing

February 19: Sunday Essiet, 15, died from a stab wound. He was attacked after a row between groups of youths in Invermore Place, Woolwich

February 23: Tung Le, 17, of Deptford, south-east London, was attacked during a row outside a nightclub in Cockspur Street. He died from a stab wound

February 29: Ofiyke Nmezu, 16, known as Iyke, of Edmonton, suffered a head injury in an attack with a brick on February 15. He attended hospital two weeks later where he died from a skull fracture

March 13: Michael Jones, 18, dies from severe head injuries and a stab wound to the chest after being attacked by an intruder at his home Stanley Road, Edmonton

March 14: Nicholas Clarke, 19, dies from a gunshot wound to the head after a shooting at the Myatts Field Estate, Brixton

March 27: Devoe Roach, 17, dies after apparently being stabbed in the chest in Stamford Hill, north London

March 27: Amro Elbadawi, 14, of West Kilburn, dies from stab wound after being knifed in Queen's Park, West London

May 3: Lyle Tulloch, 15, from Peckham, south London, is fatally stabbed in a stairway of a block of flats

May 10: Jimmy Mizen, 16, is attacked with a shard of glass in a bakery in Lee, south east London

May 24: Rob Knox, 18, is stabbed to death in a fight outside the Metro Bar in Station Road, Sidcup

May 28: Sharmaarke Hassan, 17, dies in hospital after being shot in the head in Camden, north London, on May 24

June 2: Arsema Dawit, 15, is stabbed to death in a block of flats near Waterloo station

June 29: Ben Kinsella, 16, dies after he is stabbed in York Way, Islington

July 3: Shakilus Townsend, 16, dies after being stabbed and beaten with a baseball bat in Thorton Heath, south London

July 7: David Idowu, 14, a Southwark schoolboy, dies almost three weeks after being stabbed in an attack

July 10: Melvin Bryan, 18, two charged with his murder in a flat on Gloucester Road, Upper Edmonton

July 17: Freddie Moody, 18, was murdered after a water pistol fight turned violent in Stockwell, South London

August 6: Ryan Bravo, 18, is shot dead outside a supermarket in Walworth, South London. He was mistakenly shot in the back as gunmen targeted two fleeing youths

August 16: Nilanthan Murddi, 17, dies in hospital after being stabbed in the neck in Croydon, South London

August 24: Charles Hendricks, 18, known as CJ, is fatally stabbed near a bus garage in Walthamstow, East London

August 31: Shaquille Smith, 14, dies from a single stab wound to the stomach after he and his sister, 16, are attacked by a gang of youths outside their home in Hackney, East London

September 13: Oliver Kingonzila, 19, semi professional footballer stabbed during a fight outside a nightclub in Croydon

This list is reproduced from the Times On line the original article can be found here.

Jacqui Smith Statement -"people are entitled to feel unsafe on the streets because of knife crime."

"I understand why people are worried when they see, particularly, young people using knives on other young people, and some of the tragic deaths we have seen.

"That is why we need to be very tough with enforcement and send out a clear message: you will not make yourself safer by carrying a knife."

There has been widespread concern about knife crime after a spate of fatal stabbings of young people, particularly in London.

Earlier this year the Government released figures which showed that one person is stabbed every four minutes.
From the Telegraph .

By Christopher Hope, Home Affairs Editor

* Thought of the day

Why don't the UK Government sort out their own back yard instead of making it their policy to involve us in the affairs of other countries?

Peace March London

* Over 10,000 marched to protest knife crime - Well done Guys Keep the pressure up!

"Thousands of people including families and friends of gun and knife crime victims have begun two peace marches across London to Hyde Park.

The first march began from Kennington Park, south London, while another began from Caledonian Road, north London.

Relatives of Damilola Taylor, killed in 2000, and Ben Kinsella, stabbed to death this year, are taking part.

The idea was started on Facebook by two London women. The marchers chanted "Stop the knives, save lives".

Onlookers clapped and some motorists beeped their horns in a show support.

On the eve of the march, a man in his 20s was stabbed to death outside a club in Brixton, south London.

Organisers hope that tens of thousands of people will take part in a bid to stop people from carrying knives.

Gary Trowsdale, special projects organiser for the Damilola Taylor Trust which organised the event, said the rally was about taking a stand against violence.


I don't think enough is being done to combat the situation and this is a good opportunity to show that we are not going to give up the fight
Ivette Bryon-Graham, mother of knife-crime victim

He told BBC News: "It all came about from a group of people on Facebook, just coming together, really, and crying out for change after the death of Ben Kinsella.

"It's more about the people who have decided enough is enough, and before it happens to someone in their family, they want to come together and make a stand.

"The fact is, if we can reach out to the good kids, and there are a lot more of them, and everybody can come together like this, then there is no reason why this epidemic can't be put behind us."

The idea for the People's March, originally started by Sharon Singh and Gemma Olway, both 26 and living in south west London, has received strong backing from several national newspapers.

As many as 40 families directly affected by knife violence are expected to attend.

Speaking on the BBC's Breakfast programme, Damilola Taylor's father Richard said: "What we feel the impact of today's march will be is to send a message to young people that enough is enough of these killings.

Damilola Taylor
Damilola Taylor's father has called for parents to take greater responsibility

"There are other ways by which you can sort out a fight rather than use a knife. We have had enough of this."

Mr Taylor also called for families to take greater responsibility for "guiding" their children.

Rosie Ogazi, whose 21-year-old brother Antony was murdered in Stockwell in May, will also be at the march.

She said: "Since my brother died I'd felt I had not been doing anything but now I feel like I'm doing something constructive.

"It makes me feel useful. It will be good to see that my brother's death has not been in vain."

Also attending the procession will be Ivette Bryon-Graham, whose son Javarie Crighton was stabbed to death in Peckham last year.

She said: "I've been blessed by the support of these people. I don't think I would have coped without it.

Speakers and music

"I don't think enough is being done to combat the situation and this is a good opportunity to show that we are not going to give up the fight.

"If we save just one person then that would be a good benefit."

The marchers will congregate in Hyde Park at 1330 BST for a rally including speakers and music.

Hundreds of people will also be taking part in another anti-gun and knife crime march in north-west London at midday.

The Not Another Drop march, which is in its fifth year, begins in Harlesden and ends in Wembley Stadium.

About 2,000 people are also expected to attend an anti-knife march in Inverclyde, Scotland."
This article is reproduced from BBC News 24

Attempted murer of Police Officer

Off-duty officer stabbed in chest

An off-duty policeman has been stabbed several times while trying to break up a fight in Derbyshire.

The detective sergeant tried to stop a fight involving a group of people as he walked along Church Street, Dronfield.

After identifying himself as a police officer, he was stabbed in the chest and arm. His injuries are not thought to be life threatening.

A 29-year-old man from Dronfield has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, police said.

The officer, who has not been named, is being treated at Chesterfield and North Derbyshire Royal Hospital.
BBC News 24

Petition Accepted

COMMUNITIES AGAINST KNIFE CRIME PETITION
Our Epetition has just been accepted by the Prime Ministers office..... It reads as follows

"Where communities are strong and cohesive, crime and fear of crime is lessened. More needs to be done to address the underling causes of knife crime and boost communities. This could be achieved by the setting up of local community champions within the existing framework of local participation. Working alongside judicial reform which makes carrying concealed weapons an offence which carries a mandatory prison sentence would go a long way to promoting public confidence."
If you wish to sign the petition, the link is here.

Thank you
Ali

Damians Law update

It's A Law That Will Save Lives

Sep 10 2008

JOHN Muir's son, Damian, was stabbed to death last year by a thug out on bail for another knife offence.

He was stabbed eight times in a vicious, sustained and unprovoked street attack.

The senseless killing has shattered a whole family.

But yesterday John, 69, put aside his grief to speak passionately at the Scottish parliament about a law that could spare other families the same pain.

In a moving, eloquent speech he called on MSPs to back proposals for Damian's Law - automatic jail for all knife crime, including carrying a deadly weapon.

Flanked by Damian's brother and sisters, he said thousands of young men carried knives as casually as most of us carry mobile phones.

And every time they did, they went out equipped to kill.

Support for Damian's Law is growing. And the Muirs' dignified campaign will only add to the calls for an effective response to the growing menace posed by Scotland's blades culture.

So far, more than 15,000 people have signed a petition.

Senior Labour MSPs have thrown their weight behind behind the campaign.

Scots QC Paul McBride has backed it, too. He is convinced the threat of jail will deter young men from leaving home with a lethal weapon.

Public alarm and expert opinion should not be ignored. It is time for politicians on all sides to get behind Damian's Law.

Because one thing is certain - we need action to end the tide of killings.

Scotland has one of the highest murder rates in Europe.

And blades are the most common murder weapon by far, used in about half of killings.

In the last 10 years, 524 lives have been claimed by knife-wielding thugs in Scotland. And scores more victims have been maimed for life.

Everyone agrees something must be done.

But if the government's reluctance to back automatic jail terms for knife crime is based on their desire to reduce the numbers in Scots prisons, that is not acceptable.

Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill has his priorities back to front if he is ducking a chance to curb knife crime for the sake of artificial prison targets.

Holyrood's petitions committee will now conduct an inquiry.

And if the evidence suggests that Damian's Law would deter knife thugs,it should go on the statute book.
The Daily Record On line (here)

Awaiting approval

Communities against knife crime have submitted an epetition request to 10 Downing Street asking for community champions be funded and recruited in the fight against knife crime to lessen fear of crime and promote stronger communities.
Hopefully, it won't be rejected like the request we submitted a few days ago!
If accepted we will be publishing a link on our Blog, websites and networking sites.

THE PETITION HAS BEEN ACCEPTED!

Myspace

We have just started a Myspace page
Follow this link and sign up as a friend

Enough to make your blood chill

I apologise again, for printing an article in it's entirety, but it contains lots of statistics and a story to make your blood chill...........

"A young mum confronts her neighbour wielding a samurai sword in one hand and a kitchen knife in the other.

The mum-of-two, aged 24, who has a third weapon stuffed into her jeans, screams threats and waves the deadly blades as her six-year-old daughter stands at her side.

As the sickening scene unfolds, a group of youths hurl abuse at the unemployed single mum, who only backs off when someone shouts that the police are coming.

As she retreats, one ned shouts: "You f*****g junkie cow. I hope you fall and stab yourself."

The mum, who lives with her daughter and two-year-old son in Toryglen on Glasgow's south side, was arrested and charged soon after the incident on Thursday night. She appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court on Friday where she pled not guilty to breach of the peace and three offences of knife possession.

Leaving court, the woman wept when asked to explain her behaviour.

She said: "I was just trying to defend my children. If you live where I do, you need to stand up for yourself or die.

"The couple down the stairs from us had been fighting and I tried to break it up because my six-year-old daughter was playing and I had my two-year-old son in the pram and I didn't want them to see the fight. But the guy then came at me, pushed me and told me he was going to murder me, then he pulled out a knife.

"I went upstairs and grabbed the samurai sword and the kitchen knife, then went out to face him - I wasn't going to let anyone talk tome like that.

"He lunged at me with his knife, but I came right back at him with mine and he ran away.

"There was some other teenagers around and they were shouting and swearing at me. Then the police came and I was taken and thrown in the cell."

She added: "It's a dog-eat-dog world and you need to defend yourself. The police aren't going to do anything for you where I live.

"The samurai sword looks the part but you could snap it in two - that's why I took the kitchen knife. This guy attacked me in front of my children and pushed over the pramholding my baby son.

"My life is being turned upside down by the whole thing. I still have to live upstairs from these people but I am too scared to go home now."

The pictures are from a video clip filmed on a mobile phone and passed to the Record by a shocked neighbour who didn't want to be named.

He said: "People should know what is really going on in Scotland's communities.

"This street is totally wild. I just want to move out of the place as soon as possible.

"There are fights every day. If the police don't show up on any given night, you begin to wonder if something is wrong.

"This young woman has her problems, but there is no excuse for this kind of thing. She claims she was trying to defend her kids, but what could be worse than them seeing their mum like that?

"Knife culture is out of control. Anyone who isn't involved is scared to come out of their house - it is a nightmare."

Figures published last month showed nearly 300 crimes involving lethal weapons committed over one week in Scotland.

The rate of knife crimes - including murders and serious assaults - stands at a staggering 15,000 a year.

The findings, which equate to 40 knife incidents every day, were based on every blade crime committed in Scotland during a seven-day period.

The study showed a total of 280 blade offences, with Scotland's largest police force, Strathclyde, suffering the highest incidence with 227.

Of these, 103 were charges of possessing a knife - but 124 were on a sliding scale of violence and included murder involving a samurai sword. Other crimes involving knives included 13 attempted murders, 51 serious assaults and 59 simple assaults.

Knife crime represented nearly a sixth of all the 798 violent crimes committed over the week.

The latest statistics show that more than half of all murders committed in the Strathclyde force area involve knives.

The figures indicate that, of the 73 murders reported in Strathclyde between 2006 and 2007, 40 involved a knife - that's 55 per cent of all killings.

Of 380 attempted murders, 208 involved a knife, while a third of the 4050 serious assaults involved a blade.

Rates of murder with a knife in Scotland are 3.5 times higher than in England and Wales. Last month, as part of Strathclyde Police's Campaign Against Violence, officers seized thousands of knives and other weapons from the Stuff shop in Glasgow city centre.

The Scottish government announced they were considering a licensing scheme for knife dealers, which would include records of a customer's age and identity.

The Violence Reduction Unit, set up by Strathclyde Police in 2005 but now a Scotland-wide body, was behind changes to bail laws.

Now anyone caught for the second time with a knife is opposed bail in a move which has resulted in a 100 per cent increase per month in those on remand for knife possession.

Detective Chief Superintendent John Carnochan, head of the VRU, said: "It's not easy but knife crime is a big problem.

"We do need to concentrate on gangs and violence and alcohol, which is inextricably linked to the problem in Scotland, but we should not be afraid to say it will take a generation to fix."

'My samurai sword looks the part but you could snap it in two - that's why I took the kitchen knife as well'"

By John Ferguson And Craig Mcdonald

Thank you to the Daily Record

What a week

The toll of teenagers killed by knife crime has risen again with a 16 year old boy being stabbed to death in liverpool and a 14 year old boy being killed in London.
The local Councillor is correct in his statement that communities take a stand against knife crime, it seems that education, information and pro-social modelling need to be carried out, by all who come into contact with youth.