'STOP AND SEARCH HELPS KNIFE YOBS' Outrage as expert slams police over blade policy.Byline: BY JON CLEMENTS CRIME CORRESPONDENT A CRIME expert was blasted yesterday for claiming stop and search could drive young people to join gangs and make knife crime WORSE. Former Scotland Yard Scotland Yard, headquarters of the London Metropolitan Police. The term is often used, popularly, to refer to one branch, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). Named after a short street in London, the site of a palace used in the 12th cent. advisor Laura Richards said the tough police tactics - which have taken thousands of knives off the streets - were just storing up trouble. Ms Richards insisted: "A lot more could being done as opposed to just hard-edged enforcement around stop and search." She spoke out days after the 24th teenager to be murdered in London this year was knifed to death. Charles Jnr Hendricks - known as CJ - was killed in Walthamstow on the spot where an Olympic celebration was to be held. He was the 18th victim of a fatal stabbing. Ms Richards' comments angered police, ministers and experts who are adamant that metal detecting arches and handheld wands are vital in preventing knifings. Met Deputy Assistant Commissioner Deputy Assistant Commissioner (DAC) is a rank in the London Metropolitan Police Service between Assistant Commissioner and Commander. It is equivalent to Deputy Chief Constable in other British police forces and wears the same insignia: a pip above crossed tipstaves within a Rose Fitzpatrick said: "We've had a huge feedback from young people that it makes them feel safe to see us on the streets." The Met insists ethnic minorities back stop and search. Almost 49,000 took place in May, June and July this year, leading to 1,592 arrests. London Mayor Boris Johnson's deputy for policing, Kit Malthouse Kit Malthouse (born 1966) is a British politician and former city councillor and Deputy Leader for Westminster City Council in London. Malthouse is a member of the Conservative Party has led a battle, for five years, to eliminate prostitution advertising in telephone booths. , added: "It is not good enough to simply wring wring v. wrung , wring·ing, wrings v.tr. 1. To twist, squeeze, or compress, especially so as to extract liquid. Often used with out. 2. our hands about this problem. Stop and search is a vital element of the work we are doing to tackle the scourge of knife crime." The Mirror's Stop Knives, Save Lives campaign has succeeded in getting the Government to give ten police forces 556 hand held search wands to boost stop and search. Ms Richards, who headed the Met's homicide prevention unit, found 90 per cent of killers were previously known to police. She explained: "A number of guys committing the murders are already marginalised, already excluded and we are trying these kind of tactics on these individuals. I fear we'll make the problem worse." She claimed the Met had ignored her recommendations including using police and social workers together to monitor potential killers, explaining: "You don't just wake up one morning and kill somebody. "We gave some pretty good recommendations, I think these need to find their way back to those responsible for taking decisions." Policing minister Tony McNulty Anthony James "Tony" McNulty (born 3 November 1958, London) is a politician in the United Kingdom. He has been the Labour Member of Parliament for the London constituency of Harrow East since 1997 and a government minister from 2002. He is presently a minister at the Home Office. said stop and search was just part of a strategy to get blades off the streets which includes working with schools to change the 'it's cool to carry a knife' culture. 1,445 Number of knives taken off streets of London in past three months 90 Percentage of knife killings cleared up by Met Police 120 People arrested at this year's Notting Hill Carnival Notting Hill Carnival is an annual event which takes place in Notting Hill, London, England each August, over two days (Sunday and the following bank holiday). It has continuously taken place on the streets of Notting Hill since 1965[1]. after stop and search 44 Percentage of people arrested under "sus" laws who were black 7 Minutes it takes police to fill out form for everyone they stop and search 0 Number of complaints, out of 19, upheld against police over stop and search |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion