GB News presenter Richard Tice was forced to intervene when a fiery debate on knife crime broke out.
It comes after the fatal stabbing of Elianne Andam, a 15-year-old who became the 15th teenage victim of homicide in London so far this year when she was killed travelling to school in Croydon.
Of the young people killed in 2023, the vast majority - 13 - were stabbed, while two were shot.
In a tense discussion on GB News, former British Transport police officer Norman Brennan demanded a “five year minimum” prison sentence for anyone caught possessing a knife in a bid to reduce the amount of bloodshed on London’s streets.
Ken Hinds and Norman Brennan clashed over police stop and search powers
GB NEWS
“Five years minimum should be the sentence”, he said.
“If that happened, I promise you knife crime would be reduced by possibly about 75 per cent.
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“A strong message needs to be sent out, and these ministers that tell you we have more police are wrong. We don’t. We need more police.”
Former Chair of the Haringey Independent Stop and Search Monitoring Group Ken Hinds said while he agrees with the sentencing point, it is rare for young black people to be carrying knives, and therefore it is unfair to suggest stop and search should be ramped up as a result.
“I’m in favour, but very few black youngsters are involved with carrying knives”, he said.
“You can’t have a fishing expedition on stopping the greater good and not getting any results, otherwise you’ll shoot yourself in the foot.”
Police attended the scene in Croydon after a 15-year-old girl was fatally stabbedPABrennan snapped back: “I’ve been a police officer for 31 years, 70 per cent of robberies on the street were young black men.
“You’ve got to take responsibility. You can’t keep blaming the police for the problems of the black community.”
In the year ending in March 2023, 99 people under the age of 25 were fatally injured in England and Wales by knives or other sharp objects, according to Government statistics.
The Office for National Statistics suggest around 50,000 stabbing attacking occurred in the year ending in March 2023, up five per cent from the previous year and 75 per cent from ten years prior.
The latest fatal stabbing has resulted in police stop and search powers being put up for debate, with many calls for them to be expanded.
Rishi Sunak told the BBC he is “shocked” and “appalled” after Andam was fatally stabbed as she made her way to school in Croydon on Wednesday morning.
The Prime Minister said it “illustrates the importance of clamping down on knife crime”.
The girl’s family said she was “the light of our lives” as they paid tribute to her on Thursday.
They said in a statement issued by police: “Our hearts are broken by the senseless death of our daughter.
“Elianne was the light of our lives.
“She was bright and funny, with many friends who all adored her.
“She was only 15, and had her whole life ahead of her, with hopes and dreams for the future.
“All those dreams have now been shattered.
“Our lives have fallen apart, along with that of our wider family.
“We ask the media to please respect our privacy as we try to grieve the short life of our beautiful child.”
