There have been 121 murders in the capital so far this year – a 10-year high. One third of these murder victims were young people between 16 and 24 years old; 20 of them were teenagers between 15 and 19 years old.
Meanwhile, during the past five years the budget for children’s and youth services has been cut by around £1 billion. Some say there is a link between decreasing youth provision and increasing knife-and-gun crime in London.
Mayor Sadiq Khan plans to adopt ‘the Glasgow approach’. This means looking at the underlying reasons why young people are choosing to carry a knife and thinking about ways to reduce this risk. Contributory factors would include mental health, poverty, inequalities and lack of opportunity. But it is far too early to say whether this approach will be effective, and it could take a whole generation to see the results.
So, what do we do in the meantime?
Cuts to youth services are utter madness. That is one thing which really shouldn’t be cut down. We need more youth centres, more youth workers, more after school clubs, more teenage pregnancy advisers, more role models.
Also, we need more inspirational people going into schools and showcasing their talents, showing pupils that anything is possible with dedication, no matter where you are from. We need to be implementing these ideas from primary school age, and it shouldn’t be a one off ‘tutorial’ – this kind of motivation ought to be core throughout the curriculum.
I believe we need to send out some sort of memo to parents about how to tell if your child is carrying a weapon or involved in criminal activity, and the signs to look out for. Early intervention is key. Maybe setting up some sort of group meetings for parents to attend – for those whose children are spiraling out of control. There could be guest speakers, a spokesperson from the Met Police, a children’s social worker, a probation officer, a housing adviser – various professionals who could all offer valuable advice for parents.
We need to invest in more metal detectors on public transport and in schools. Some will say that is going too far, but I don’t see how – if it saves lives and acts as a deterrent.
I am tired of seeing all these young people dying over nothing. Families are being torn apart, children are left traumatised from these events and it’s only reinforcing the idea that this is ‘just how it is’ for them.
No, it’s not, it doesn’t have to be, and it’s for the adult generation to make a difference. Those of us old enough to be in positions of power – we need to do more.
We must do better.