UK Edition
Publicity of knife seizures could be fueling gangland 'arms race', charities warn
Police campaigns showing zombie knives and machetes seized in weapon amnesties could be fueling a climate of fear among teenagers who believe they have to “tool up” to protect themselves, charities have warned.
Campaigners tackling gang violence are urging the Metropolitan Police and other forces to review how they publicise lethal weapons seizures.
While adults may feel reassured that such knives have been removed from the street, there is growing concern that photographs released by police are exacerbating young people’s fears about dangers they face. It is thought such imagery shown on social media and then in the news could be contributing to the ‘arms race’ between gangs.
The Metropolitan Police, which has seen 120 murders in London this year, has removed hundreds of weapons after conducting more than 21,000 weapons sweeps.
Patrick Green of the Ben Kinsella Trust, an organisation set up to educate youngsters about the perils of knife crime, said: “The fear is that those who are on the verge of offending or involved with gangs expect other young people to be carrying knives.
“So, when they see knives both of the magnitude and frightening type police have seized there is a concern it can fuel their fears.
“Police have to show knife amnesties are working but the challenge is to do so without inadvertently making the problem and the perception of the problem worse.”
Earlier this month, Sadiq Khan, the London mayor, announced a new Violence Reduction Unit to tackle the rise in knife attacks in the capital. It will receive support from its Scottish equivalent where knife crime has been cut dramatically among youngsters in Glasgow.
A briefing paper from the Scottish No Knives Better Lives seen by The Sunday Telegraph has urged Scottish police and media not to use photographs of “large or unusual knives” because “this can make young people afraid thereby increase defensive knife carrying and contributing to the idea that knife carrying is the norm.”
While Police Scotland does not have a force-wide policy of not showing knives, it is understood it does not routinely publicise pictures of weapons seized.
Emily Beever, who runs that Scottish Government funded No Knives Better Lives project, said: “We encourage local partners, including police, not to show those types of images. The issue is how young people view these images compared to adults.
“An adult may be reassured to see that these weapons are removed from the streets, but young people may see it very differently.
“The thing we don’t want to do is amplify any fears among young people around the prevalence of knives in their community which could lead to youngsters carrying knives for their apparent protection.”
Sheldon Thomas, a former gang member who now runs Gangsline, a consultancy and training company, said gang members live in perpetual fear and so police’s publicity featuring weapons removed from the streets may be detrimental.
“It can be a contributing factor,” he said. “When they see the types of knives being seized they may worry that there is a greater threat than they initially thought.”
However, Danny O’Brien of the campaign group Anti Knife UK, said police do not need to sugar coat the reality, adding many youngsters are well aware of what weapons are in use.
Commander Dave Musker, head of the Scotland Yard’s Violent Crime Taskforce, said: “We consider each release of information on a case by case basis, but I believe the use of these images to be a proportionate, necessary and valid tactic to reassure the public that the Met Police is robustly targeting men of violence and those who use and carry knives.”
A spokesman for Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, said its newly created Violence Reduction Unit has learned from the work done in Scotland to reduce knife crime, adding that it will challenge “the perception that it is safe to carry a knife - it is not.”