Posted on 07/10/2006 2:15:33 AM PDT by 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."
More assinine braying from the jackasses in the police. The Chief Constable is no doubt one of the 99% who give the other 1% a bad name.
The reason self defense is such a serious crime in Britain and in places in the USA like New York City, Baltimore, DC, Boston, etc. is that if the peasants get the idea that they can defend themselves against ordinary criminals intent on casual wealth redistribution, then they might get the idea that they can defend themselves against the biggest criminal gang of all that plunders the citizens on an unprecedented scale - the government. And we can't have that can we? The philosophy of wealth redistribution demands a defenseless population or to quote New York's upChuckie Schemer - a society where only the police and military are armed.
The answer it seems is free government issue chain mail vests.
"If you ask chefs how many times they need to use pointed knives they'll tell you they don't need them at all."
Mister, I don't know who you talked to, but I can assure you that no professional chef, or cook for that matter, would say such a thing. :) More like, "Touch my knives and you die!" ;)
The continuing "pussification" of a once-great people. Disgusting.
'Ahhh but there is a difference. This isn't some bloke standing on a street corner. This is a guy who is using his position of public authority to push this stupid idea.'
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. . . . ;-)
'The reason self defense is such a serious crime in Britain and in places in the USA like New York City, Baltimore, DC, Boston, etc. is that if the peasants get the idea that they can defend themselves against ordinary criminals intent on casual wealth redistribution, then they might get the idea that they can defend themselves against the biggest criminal gang of all that plunders the citizens on an unprecedented scale - the government. And we can't have that can we? The philosophy of wealth redistribution demands a defenseless population or to quote New York's upChuckie Schemer - a society where only the police and military are armed.'
Well you guys in the US have the right to bear arms and are still getting screwed by your govt and the IRS. What's the point of being able to bear arms against your govt if you never do? ;-)
"If you ask chefs how many times they need to use pointed knives they'll tell you they don't need them at all."
He's obviously never filleted a fish or deboned a chicken. . . . .
Just think how much worse it would be if they were the only ones armed - make Pol Pot look like a piker.
She's a cutie!
If this will work, then British criminals must not be nearly as ingenious as American ones.
I saw a program once about the items prison guards regularly find in cells here. I never knew how much damage you could do with a magazine! (The paper kind that you read).
I can only hope that this idiocy will start to wake the Brits up enough to realize the fallacy in the "elimiate crime by eliminating weapons" arguments.
"I'm sorry, what were we talking about?"
Miniskirts...I think. At least that's what I'm talkin' about. Yes. God bless the British.
That's it............I'm hiding my grinder !!!!
aaaaa.... You wouldn't happen to have the front view on that, would you? Just for research purposes, of course.
I'm late to this, but have to point out (will that phrase be outlawed as well???) that when I was being trained as a "baby killer" (i.e.: I was in the US Army), we young, ruthless males were told that a dull, rounded tipped knife is MORE DEADLY than a pointy sharp one. As you viscously thrust the dull, rounded knife into the chest of your target, his flesh tears apart and his organs tear apart in jagged fashion - making surgical repair much more difficult than the neat puncture and slices made by sharp, pointy knives.
These cops in the UK have it backwards!
Meat cleavers are okay.
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