There will be no solution to knife crime until there is a long hard look at drugs policy. The illegality of drugs, and the lucrative industry around it, is fueling drug gangs and the inevitable violence that follows. Calls for more police and increased use of stop and search are failed responses. They create a false sense of security, affect the innocent and create even more fear and distrust. Solutions rest with eliminating the source of the gangs money - the illegal drugs trade - and resourcing genuine grass roots community initiatives, not more resources and powers to the police.
There will be no solution to knife crime until there is a long hard look at drugs policy. The illegality of drugs, and the lucrative industry around it, is fueling drug gangs and the inevitable violence that follows. Calls for more police and increased use of stop and search are failed responses. They create a false sense of security, affect the innocent and create even more fear and distrust. Solutions rest with eliminating the source of the gangs money - the illegal drugs trade - and resourcing genuine grass roots community initiatives, not more resources and powers to the police.