Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #knifecrime
Most recents (16)
Update on "our Ken" - the ex Met Police officer who sent a threatening letter, placed rubbish in the garden, then escalated to spray painting the property and wielding a knife. His complaint? Having anti Brexit stickers on my dustbing
To avoid going to court (His son works for Kent #Police and Ken is a football coach for young people), Ken finally paid £3000 for the restoration of the property (some 75% of the sum requested). It becomes clear that #Brexit doesn't pay. 
Ken's main complaint (apart from the fact that I don't accept his form of democracy and that "I lost") was his claim that my anti-Brexit stickers were lowering property values in the area. I have not been able to verify the matter, nonetheless ...
How does young people's experience and perception of #knifecrime differ from policing experts'? Our paper 'Understanding Knife Crime and Trust in Police with Young People in East London' with @sartemis_ @LinaTLudwig and @ben1971b explores this topic. More detail in thread below.
We teamed up with @FroilanLegaspi of @CitizensUK to work with young people in East London to explore their perception of #knifecrime First we mapped their experiences using a mobile phone application to report worrying incidents such as seeing/hearing about knives/threats.
We then used interviews to build mental models for young people and police experts to identify gaps in understanding. E.g.: young people are very aware of enforcement operations ("gang matrix", "section 60") but not aware of community building initiatives (e.g. VRU activities).
So, this week, a familiar face caught my eye who is a regular knife carrier. As I approached with colleagues he didn’t try to make off but started to motion to his waistband, I have recovered a machete from him in the past. He was detained and about to be searched when he..
...said he had cut himself motioning to his hip/lower back. A closer inspection revealed a 1 inch cut/ hole in his puffa jacket. I knew what was coming next as my colleagues and I discovered a fresh stab wound, dangerously close to his kidney. He was asked where it had happened..
..who had done it, what they looked like, how did it happen. Questions I’m confident he knew the answers to, none that he wished to tell. He was adamant he had only been hit once as we searched for further wounds but I said that he would likely only focus on the first strike..
Violent injury from knives continues to result in tragic deaths and life changing injuries. Whether the possession of the weapon is from intent to harm or out of fear and for protection it is alarming how many times it is the same types of weapon and brands of knife #Knifecrime
One of the brands that is seen again and again in assaults and in police searches is Anglo arms. The demand for their knives consistently is high with suppliers out of stock #theresthatknifeagain #angloarms
Knives like these are clearly not manufactured with any intention to cause harm and are a high quality product but to what degree can we be sure that the purchasers of these weapons, particularly on line are for legitimate use when they are carried so much on the streets?
Perhaps some context to complaints re #stopsearch in London: there has been a massive increase in volumes over the last 2yrs.
The result: falling arrest (and positive outcome) rates, down from 18.2% (30.7%) in Jul 18 to 9.1% (19.8%) in May 20. met.police.uk/sd/stats-and-d…
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The result: falling arrest (and positive outcome) rates, down from 18.2% (30.7%) in Jul 18 to 9.1% (19.8%) in May 20. met.police.uk/sd/stats-and-d…
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There is an inverse relationship between volumes and arrest/positive outcome rates. As volumes of #stopsearch increase, numbers of 'false positives' increase faster = more potential for complaints (all else being equal) and more risks to legitimacy.
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A key way the reduction in #stopsearch in London was achieved after 2011 was through a focus on the strength of grounds (how 'reasonable' were they) and arrest rates. A 20% arrest rate target was introduced and SS fell until it was reached.
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What is the public health approach to knife crime? #BattleofIdeasFest
When we use race to explain knife crime the response is generally more punitive says Adam Elliot-Cooper #BattleofIdeasFest
Some really outstanding contributions here @buffsoldier_96 comparing moralising approaches with medicalising ones #knifecrime #BattleofIdeasFest
ICYMI the latest stop and search figures were out yesterday. Alarming findings re: liberty & human rights:
💠 Stop and search incl Section 60 (removing reasonable suspicion has *increased* significantly).
💠 Black ppl in London are now 10x more likely to be stopped and searched
💠 Stop and search incl Section 60 (removing reasonable suspicion has *increased* significantly).
💠 Black ppl in London are now 10x more likely to be stopped and searched
Also important to note, that despite this govt's/Priti Patel's reasons for increasing stop and search, arrest rates have *fallen* and 60% of stop and searches are for drugs - *not weapons/knives*. And "intelligence-led policing" has led to increased racial profiling; not decrease
These alarming stop and search stats across Eng & Wales beg many Q's: why is stop & search being increased despite it have little effect on #knifecrime and arrest rates? Why is stop and search (incl Section 60 powers) increasing despite strong evidence of unfair racial profiling?
If allowing police to use section 60 stop & search without reasonable suspicion doesn't reduce knife crime, why use it? Latest figures from police forces show #knifecrime has increased in Eng and Wales despite S60 stop & search in 8 high knife crime areas bbc.co.uk/news/uk-500802…
Section 60 stop and search pilot study were carried out in 7 (not 8) areas: South Yorkshire, London, West Midlands, Merseyside, West Yorkshire, South Wales & Greater Manchester. And yet in all of these areas knife crime went up. So why did Home Sec roll it out across 43 forces?
We already know that there is racial bias in stop & search, with black ppl being stopped 4x more than white ppl. But it's worse when section 60 stop and search police powers are used with black ppl being stopped approx 12x more than white ppl. So why roll out S60 stop & search?
I missed this GLA slide pack when it was published in July.
'A Public Health Approach to Serious Youth Violence: Supporting Evidence'
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data.london.gov.uk/dataset/a-publ…
'A Public Health Approach to Serious Youth Violence: Supporting Evidence'
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data.london.gov.uk/dataset/a-publ…
Sigh. I found it pretty frustrating.
Lots of data confirming the association with a range of indicators of disadvantage.
OK, useful.
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Lots of data confirming the association with a range of indicators of disadvantage.
OK, useful.
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What's missing?
Longitudinal analysis, qualitative insights and a narrative.
A basic question: why did serious youth violence get worse between 2012/13 and 2017/18?
Nothing.
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Longitudinal analysis, qualitative insights and a narrative.
A basic question: why did serious youth violence get worse between 2012/13 and 2017/18?
Nothing.
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Prof John Pitts now discussing knife crime in the context of #countylines
According to Pitts #knifecrime offences peaked in 2009, although it is possible 2019 may usurp that figure #thepoint
Let me tell you a #knifecrime story I dealt with last week as a GP in #Croydon which has a lot of knife crime and loads of chicken shops.
Social services @yourcroydon rang me to ask whether I had any background information on a teenage patient of mine who absconded from A&E after having a stab wound sutured. Didn’t explain how it happened and left before the police and social workers came #KnifeFree
Yes I did!
Parents had been worried about him for several years due to disruption and behaviour problems at school.
Under resourced school didn’t have the capacity to give him pastoral care and asked parents to see GP to get a referral to adolescent mental health services.
Parents had been worried about him for several years due to disruption and behaviour problems at school.
Under resourced school didn’t have the capacity to give him pastoral care and asked parents to see GP to get a referral to adolescent mental health services.
#StopAndSearch won't affect me as much as many others (though more than most). If I conscientiously object to my privacy being unjustifiably violated, I'm privileged so it won't ruin my life.
But for the historically targeted, set to be further marginalised... :🖕🏿Johnson & Patel
But for the historically targeted, set to be further marginalised... :🖕🏿Johnson & Patel
I'm against #StopAndSearch without their being a reason to suspect THAT person, but if we ARE doing it, it shouldn't just be in some areas. Make it TRULY random/fair.
Make the rich rural Tory-voting pensioner feel the privacy violations they're inflicting on black boys in cities.
Make the rich rural Tory-voting pensioner feel the privacy violations they're inflicting on black boys in cities.
After all... Boris Johnson did say that the most ''loving'' thing you can do to a person is have an officer of the law force them to empty their pockets in public.
So why not spread the love?
#StopAndSearch
So why not spread the love?
#StopAndSearch
I gave a brief (via Skype) presentation on #knifecrime yesterday to a meeting at @UAL - thought I'd post the slides here in case anyone is interested.
A brief overview of evidence on use/carrying, trends, and then a series of 7 hypotheses about why the increase.
A thread.
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A brief overview of evidence on use/carrying, trends, and then a series of 7 hypotheses about why the increase.
A thread.
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First some headlines re motivation and risks for carrying & use. Main sources @iainbrennan's excellent paper academia.edu/37225623/_Pre-… and the v good recent @CollegeofPolice briefing by Abigail McNeill and @levinwheller college.police.uk/News/College-n… #knifecrime
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To illustrate the trend in recent years I opted first for health rather than crime data. NHS data taken from the spreadsheet published to accompany this @commonslibrary #knifecrime briefing published last Nov. researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefi…
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I think people need to realise what a fantastic job this man is doing. He is encouraging young people to hand in their knives to him and he then presents them to the police. This video alone shows the difference it makes! #fazamnesty #knifecrime [THREAD]
Here’s a news article summing up the work he has been doing: news.sky.com/story/daddy-by…
He has over 18,000 followers on Instagram and has young people reach out to him every day. He talks to them about why they are carrying knives and tries to help them give up that lifestyle.
The Offensive Weapons Bill is due its second reading in the @UKHouseofLords this afternoon. Listen to the debate here: parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/16… and read our briefing here: scyj.org.uk/wp-content/upl… #youthjustice #knifecrime
Lord Paddick, Liberal Democrats questions whether the proposed law on corrosive substance possession - which removes requirement of intent to cause harm - is being introduced because govt believes it will be effective, or because they "just want to be seen to be doing something"
Lord Paddick goes on to discuss harm and ineffectiveness of short sentences. Watch here: goo.gl/qFBDQK #offensiveweaponsbill #youthjustice #knifecrime
IMO that TfL site is a #DeadLetterOffice saferoxfordstreet.blogspot.com/2017/06/london… report to @metpoliceuk ASAP beta.met.police.uk/report/report-…
and report it to John Trayner MD @TheGoAheadGroup London cc'ing TfL's Bus Bosses, @willnorman @CarolineRussell (of @LondonAssembly) @StopKillingCycl & me. The only way to ensure TfL & CityHall don't just #CoverUp for TfL Contractors' #SafetyFail is to shine a light on it.
In my experience, it's clear that TfL => Trade Association set up to protect its Bus & Tram Contractors instead of regulating their Safety Performance. Read @CarolinePidgeon's & @KeithPrinceAM's MQTs sometime & you'll see how far City Hall & TfL go to protect them from #Scrutiny
