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."

[driftdiver]

I found your pointed post to be an assault on my senses.

[driftdiver]

"More like, "Touch my knives and you die!" ;)"

If chef's don't use pointed knives then why do the knives have them? I'm fairly confident they wouldn't be there just for the heck of it.

[driftdiver]

"I'm afraid not, our tradition of free speech covers all idiots, even those in positions of public authority pushing liberal agendas to further their own career. . . . ;-)"

I think I understand your dangerous and should be banned point.

I'm not sure that you understand mine. There is a difference between just any pointy head goofball exercising his free speech and someone who is a position where abuse of their power would infringe on peoples lives.

[Professional Engineer]

Or a banana?

[Fido969]

That sounds similar to the law in many states in the U.S. You can only use reasonable force against an attacker,

Do those force limits apply only when you are defending yourself? Are there "force limits" that an attacker should mind as well?

Anyway - what is going on with the Brits? Once a fierce and proud nation, they seem to be turning into a bunch of scardy-cat panty-waists!

[Athwart]

"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."

Right. Discussed this with chefs, did he? I want to watch him try to bone a chicken with a round-pointed knife. That should be entertaining.

[The Red Zone]

"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."

I have one of those big scarey knives with a point and it didn't even dawn on me that it could factor into any trouble. It's like those darned self shooting guns. The point of this knife is handy for picking up hunks of things like meat or large veggies; it is often nicer than a fork because things don't hang on so tenaciously.

[Total Package]

I call for a waiting period on forks, two days for every point the fork has.

[webstersII]

"Are there "force limits" that an attacker should mind as well?"

Yeah, it's just that the bad guys ignore them. Sorta like how they ignore the gun laws.

[SauronOfMordor]

My philosophy is that anybody who is too dangerous to be allowed use of firearms, is too dangerous to be loose on the streets. It is lunacy to attempt to turn the world into a play-pen for psychotics

PS: love the miniskirt pic

[Stoat]

 

My philosophy is that anybody who is too dangerous to be allowed use of firearms, is too dangerous to be loose on the streets. It is lunacy to attempt to turn the world into a play-pen for psychotics

PS: love the miniskirt pic

Agreed on all counts...prisons are an excellent focus for tax money in my view  :-)  The higher those walls are, the better I sleep at night.

As to the miniskirt, I'm glad that you liked it  :-)  It's important to point out some of the great things that Great Britain has done in order to remind folks of what they can do during these difficult times, and although miniskirts may not immediately jump to most peoples' minds when considering the great accomplishments of various nations and cultures, it certainly has made the world a friendlier place, and we can thank our British Friends for that   :-)

 

[Stoat]

I'm sorry, what were we talking about?

We were talking about how our British Friends have a great legacy of tremendous accomplishments, and how we shouldn't lose sight of that just because one socialist twit gets a few newspaper column inches because he says something that firmly casts him as a lunatic.  What loser third-world country could possibly do something as magnificent as this?

 

 

 

  Great Britain will bounce back from this horrific Socialist morass that they have gotten themselves into....just wait and see.  :-)

 

[Stoat]

"Implements" with "rounded ends" can be quite useful as well;)

I'm not touching that line with a ten-foot "anything"   :-)

[Stoat]

Ya just had to post that picture didn't ya? Now what little blood was reaching this old dudes brain has rushed off to parts it hasn't visited in years.

Terribly sorry about that...no offense or harm was intended.  Here, let me provide some assistance, if I may.  I'd like to introduce you to one of our Friendly Thread Nurses.  Her name is Raquel, and she will look after you and make sure that all is well.  Just do everything that she tells you to do and everything will be just fine   :-)

 

[F.J. Mitchell]

You are killing me with kindness. Thank you very much.

[MrEdd]

Next they will get bigger boards, with BIGGER NAILS!

[MrEdd]

What the Brits need are cops citizens with guns and the right to use them like in the US.

Fixed it for you.