London has lost about two dozen lives to knife crimes since the beginning of this year. The victims were all in their teens or early twenties. Though the better newspapers do not mention it in first reports, many of these youngsters belonged to local gangs and had their pictures and exploits posted on youtube and similar sites. The majority of victims and offenders belonged to the Afro Caribbean communities. The list includes a few white kids from the economically backward families and also few totally innocent bystanders and passers by.
Pointless loss of young life is very sad and such a waste to society. The issue is today a major subject for debate and discussions. The MPs, local councils, police chiefs, do-gooders, sociologists, watchdogs and everyone else has put forward various remedies to the phenomenon of youth killing youth. Some of the proposals are-
a. Make violent youth visit stab victims in hospitals and also meet their kin.
b. Bring back the old system of compulsory military service to instil discipline.
c. Make the offenders do more of community service.
d. Give tougher prison sentences and so on.
This same group of solution providers also venture far enough to mention some of the possible reasons for the current crisis. These include-
a. General insecurity.
b. Peer pressure.
c. Easy availability of arms, cheap booze and drugs.
d. Learning difficulties at school.
In the meanwhile, the violence continues unabated. During court appearances the offenders grin at victims’ parents and wave at press photographers, like gladiators promising to be back for more action. Some families of victims and offenders hold press conferences and often get paid by B grade newspapers and slime channels. The media has gunpowder for tomorrow and readers go high on cordite smoke.
London’s Metropolitan Police is (was?) reputed to be one of the best in the world. One does not need the eyes of Mr. Holmes to see trouble brewing in the side streets of London. You pass a group leaning against bikes or perched on fences and hear ‘Gangsta speak’, as fashioned by semi-literate, semi naked rap artists. You choke on the exhaled cloud of ‘skunk’, a hybrid form of cannabis, and avoid half a dozen pairs of hostile, bleary eyes, so out of place on a teenaged face. You will never spy a ‘bobby on beat’ anywhere near. To illuminate the point, yesterday (July 19th) a couple of cops were kicked, punched and bitten by a mob for asking a young girl to pick up litter she had dropped. This happened in Croydon, an area in south London.
Last winter, I was returning from work after a late shift. I have to walk past a major Police station right next to main highway and roundabout to reach home. A hoodie was seated on the low perimeter wall of the Station and a girl was straddling him, as careless as a pair of amorous street dogs. Another hoodie was puffing on a cigarette. I had no option but to pass within a few paces. “F**k off, s**t head, or I will let you have it”, the second hoodie snarled at me, as gruff as his adolescence would let him. Silent, I walked on. There were lights still burning in the police station. But I might as well have complained to my grandmother. Suddenly you understand why young criminals grin at victim’s parents. They have no guilt and no trace of shame. They also have no fear for the law. The human rights activists can indeed now showcase England as one of their best success stories.
Amidst all this nonsense, no one touches the real issue. I would put it all down to the loss of family values and religion (whatever, whichever) that comes with it. You can not feed and raise kids on Rights and More Rights and hope them to become human beings. They need homes with moms, dads and siblings. More importantly, they need parents who work and contribute to society, rather than parasites glued to beer cans. Remember that innocence and shame in children are not signs of weakness. Give decent working parents tax rebates and other incentives for bringing up kids who do not become shifty eyed adults at the age of eleven. Fifteen year old unwilling single moms, largely unwelcome infants and absent fathers indeed have their rights, but I can not see them playing any constructive roles for the better future of this beautiful nation.
To cap it all, this nation has no more real heroes and role models, other than the afore said obscene pop artists, frolicking royalty, flash in the pan football stars and their lewd, cheap, pay-as-you-go women. For god sake, stop giving these idiots free publicity, which makes youngsters believe that it is alright to follow suit. A few tabloids might go bust, but GB can afford it, I am sure.
Rights, rights and more rights. They have trussed up parents, teachers and policemen. The criminals are better off because all those rights help their causes more. The hardworking tax paying idiot has the right to squirm, whine and little else. Get hitched to a legal procedure and you miss work and pay. You wait in queues in police stations and courts with thugs, drunks and other similar prominent citizens, all treated 100% equal. The criminal has nothing to lose since he is mostly on benefit, with ample leisure time.
Let me ask a parting question to the Advocates of Rights. Why are there so few Chinese, Indians and Catholic neighbours from Europe in your hoodie gangs? It is mostly because they have love, trust and faith in their families and not in some foul mouthed rap artist. Go home and think new. Cheers.
To know more about knife crimes in UK, visit-
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/0713/breaking19.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/uk/newsid_3753000/3753722.stm
