Teach Knife Crime Teens Useful Skills In Hospital
KNIFE crime is big news. A knife features on the cover of the Scotsman, the Mirror and the Mail.
In “KNIVES TSAR IN CALL FOR NATIONAL SERVICE”, the Daily Mail speaks with “Police chief” Alf Hitchcock, a Scotland Yard Deputy Assistant Commissioner appointed by the Home Secretary to head a new national anti-knife crime programme.
He tells us:
“Most kids are not beyond the pale. Most kids are decent young people. We have let them down. Now it’s time to give them the hope they deserve.”
With that cleared up, Hitchcock advocates a non-military “national service”, what used to be called community service. Although the Mail hears: “Send jobless youths on national service, says Britain’s new knife crime tsar.”
Anorak readers will doubtless recall David Cameron’s interest in introducing a scheme wherein the kidz would devote their summer holiday to “patriotic” duties. “North and south, black and white, rich and poor,” said Cameron, adopting Del Boy Trotter’s common touch, “They will be putting something back into the community”.
Hitchcock’s plan to employ the yoof is nothing new; neither is Jacquie Smith’s brainwave to make youngsters caught carrying blades go to hospital to see the effect of knife attacks. And it’s not all the clever:
The Royal College of Surgeons said the plan was ‘distasteful’ and ‘morally, ethically and legally suspect’.
So what else could we do with these knifers? The Independent might knows, as it’s front-page headline says: “Litany of surgical blunders revealed – More than one operation a month is on wrong site.”
Perhaps when in hospital our teenage tearaways could be invited to put their knife skills to more productive use, or get a job in a kebab shop..?
Posted: 14th, July 2008 | In: Broadsheets, Tabloids Comments (4) | TrackBack | Permalink
