We have a knife crime epidemic sweeping the UK right now and it isn't going to slow up or stop any time soon, you know why? Because the fear within our youths and younger generations is getting more and more every week that passes and it is leading to thousands of non-criminals, non-aggressive boys now carrying knives for protection, just in case they are threatened by a robber, a street gang or group that are armed.
The only way to now regain the safety of our streets is by strong policing and hard justice.
Many people do not realise that if you are caught with a machete, sword or Rambo knife, the chances of you going to prison for that is quite small, there are dozens and dozens of these cases on internet search engines, where the carriers get suspended sentences.. yes, you heard me right, suspended sentences.
For me, prison is meant to take the most dangerous of society off our streets and take them away for a harsh lesson in consequences and to keep our communities safe, that isn't happening with knife crime, no wonder why things are getting so bad.
There's only one way to stop teenagers carrying knives, writes Adam Brooks
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I'll point to the case of Gabriel Abdullah, who stormed into a Jewish supermarket in North London waving a 10-inch kitchen knife, threatening staff, and shouting threats, he received a suspended sentence. Now how can that be, especially after we've recently seen people jailed for a couple of 'hateful' tweets. Our justice system is a joke, and it is putting us in danger.
There are even cases where criminals are caught with machetes twice and escape prison.
In the UK, the maximum you can get for carrying a knife is four years, and as I've said, the judges are just not implementing tough sentences, often opting for suspended sentences, that is why former policeman, Norman Brennan and I are campaigning to get 100,000 signatures on a Government petition, to try and force a debate in Parliament on Mandatory five-year sentences for carrying a knife in public, stripping away judges power to let these people straight back on to our streets.
Five years for adults and three years for juvenile offenders, would scare many of those who carry clout or with the excuse of self-defence, trust me, this coupled with an aggressive stop-and-search policy and some money spent on an awareness campaign, would dramatically cut the numbers walking our streets with knives, please, please, please support and share our petition, it will be on mine and Norman Brennan's social media pages.
Now, many people ask me why I dedicate so much time to knife crime campaigns. It is unfortunately because I lost my father to a machete gang when I was just 11 years old. He stood up for and tried to protect his pub customers, but was overwhelmed by numbers of masked men and unfortunately lost his life that night, something I've never got over and something that has spurred me on with these campaigns.
Politicians must stop the PR stunts and enact real change to battle knife crime, writes Adam Brooks
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I've been stabbed too. My teenage years were a rollercoaster of anger and turmoil. Because of losing my dad in such a way, I can admit that I'm ashamed to have carried a knife, through fear, in my younger life as I didn't want to die like my dad did. So I can honestly tap into the mentality of so many of these normal kids carrying, I believe the deterrent of three or five years mandatory prison would have stopped me from carrying back then and I believe it will stop many now.
We are never going to stop hardened gang members or gangsters from having weapons, but we can focus on the others, so many schools are reporting issues with pupils having knives, we have even seen stabbings and murders by school kids. This must end.
My other motivation is having a 15-year-old son, I'm petrified of him going out, the streets are so unsafe, even in the suburbs where we live.
I'm hoping people get behind myself and Norman, because this will work and stop the knife crime epidemic, enough of ridiculous PR stunts like rounding off edges of knives please Yvette Cooper, there are 100-150 million knives in circulation, this will do nothing, it is a PR stunt to pretend they care.
I will keep trying my best to campaign against knife crime because I know we can tackle it with strong policing and strong sentencing, many people will back this, they just need to know.
You can sign Adam Brooks' petition for 5 year mandatory prison sentences for carrying a knife here.
