Top cop makes a point about killer blades

The Sunday Sun ^ | Jul 9 2006 | Phil Doherty

[managusta]

One of the region's top cops has called for a ban on pointed blades so that they cannot be used as lethal weapons.

The Chief Constable of Northumbria police Mike Craik said he would like to see implements like kitchen knives only being sold with rounded ends to make them safer.

He explained: "You rarely get victims who are sliced to death . . . they are usually stabbed.

"So, the problem is pointed knives. If you ask chefs how many times they need to use pointed knives they'll tell you they don't need them at all."

Mr Craik spoke out after backing the Sunday Sun's `No To Knives' campaign.

We want anybody convicted of carrying a knife or bladed weapon in public without lawful excuse to face an immediate jail sentence.

Mr Craik agreed that the justice system should be much tougher, and said it would give an incentive for his officers to carry out more stop and searches of those suspected of carrying a weapon.

He said: "As a police force we can do our bit and as long as the justice system use their sentencing powers and give meaningful sanctions then we can make a difference.

"I can increase stop and searches and arrests for carrying knives but without help from the justice system to create a deterrent that is not going to be productive.

"Carrying a knife is like getting caught carrying a gun . . . there has to be a sanction that reflects the seriousness of what you are doing. This is why I'm backing the Sunday Sun's campaign."

Northumbria Police have now joined Cleveland and Cumbria in backing the campaign.

Durham Police chief John Stoddart and North Yorkshire top cop Della Cannings have so far refused to get behind it.

According to Mr Craik, it is far too easy to obtain a knife or other bladed weapon and he questioned why there are so many so-called hunting knives on sale when there are not that many people who actually hunt.

He said: "Why are shops allowed to sell samurai swords or hunting knives to the public? I don't know anyone who uses a hunting knife, so why are there so many of them on sale?"

He dismissed suggestions that the clamour against knives is a knee-jerk reaction to a spate of recent stabbings in the region, including that of charity health worker Ashleigh Ewing and Carie Burns.

Ashleigh died on a home visit to a patient in Heaton, Newcastle, while Carie was killed with a samurai sword in Consett, County Durham.

Mr Craik said: "There is a realisation among the public that there is a real risk and that kids, particularly young males, are at the greatest risk.

"The current concern about knives is an emotional reaction to the risk to our children.

"This is why a deterrent sanction will make a difference . . . but we haven't got that at the moment.

"If the only issue to tougher sanctions is the capacity of prisons then there are ways of achieving this. For instance, if you have people jailed for non-payment of fines then get them out and create capacity that way.

"But even tougher sentencing will not make the problem disappear.

"It's about reducing the risk and managing it as effectively as we can.

"As a police force all we can do is make our opinion known and be willing to help reduce the incidence of knife crime."

[managusta]

The Chief Constable of Northumbria police Mike Craik said he would like to see implements like kitchen knives only being sold with rounded ends to make them safer.

Ah! On both sides of the Atlantic our civilizations face the grim spectre of Liberal ideology.

[King Prout]

oh
my
GOD

what is WRONG with the English?!?!?!?!?

[Rightwing Conspiratr1]

Well what about pointed sticks?

[King Prout]

or baseball bats?
or cricket stumps?
or rolling pins?
or no.2 pencils?

this is just lunacy.

[Cindy]

Beat me to it.

[CarrotAndStick]

Remove the pointed ends, make only blunted ends, and you'll have murderers beheading their victims with blunt knives.


And the chief might consider banning bench grinders as well.


Absolute lunacy.

[Stoat]

oh
my
GOD

what is WRONG with the English?!?!?!?!?

Please don't be too quick to slam our British Friends....they are suffering from a particularly bad onslaught of Socialism it's true, but there are still many sane Brits over there who are gnashing their teeth over this sort of insanity just as we are.  They invented the MINISKIRT for God's sake, one of the finest inventions of the entire 20th Century....they have it within them to put a stop to this lunacy, they just need to organize their Conservatives (easier said than done, sadly)

[Jeff Chandler]

Omigosh! Omigosh! This is just like the "Monkey's Paw" episode of The Simpsons!

[2111USMC]

When I first started reading, I was certain this had to be Scrappleface.

Unbelievable!

[Dallas59]

I can't believe what I just read....Has Monty Python taken over?

[sully777]

We must ban all eating utensils. And we must do it for the children's sakes.

[DB]

So what are Mike Craik's brilliant plans for screw drivers, ice picks, welding rod, wooden dowels, you name it...

[Marak]

It is a fact that rolled-up newspapers are frequently used to strike poor, defenseless dogs. Perhaps it is the newspapers that should be banned.

[Jeff Chandler]

Chopsticks are the deadliest.

[Jeff Chandler]

What about pointy-beaked birds?

[OpusatFR]

So what are they going to do about razor blades embeded in a piece of wood?

Ban shaving?

[LeoWindhorse]

just don't let any Muzzies or drunken ,Scots soccer hooligans
have them....

[dirtbiker]

The Chief Constable of Northumbria police Mike Craik said he would like to see implements like kitchen knives only being sold with rounded ends to make them safer.

The next step would be "knife control", requiring a background check and a permit before purchasing one, then just ban the beastly things altogether....

For some reason, I hear Jocelyn Elders talking about "We must make safer knives..."

[Steel Wolf]

You can have my kitchen knife when you pry it from ...

hmm..

it just doesn't have the same ring to it...

[Anti-Bubba182]

Nuts, they will grind a new point if they want one.