Knife strife

Chima Osuji. Tyler McDermott. Renell Charles. Khaled Saleh. Victor Lee. Leonardo Reid. Rahaan Ahmed Amin. Claudyo Jauad Lafayette. Stefan Valentine Balaban. Yusuf Mohamoud. Ania Omar Zen. Max Moy Wheatley. Elianne Andam.

All of these names belong to teenagers who were murdered in knife attacks in London this year alone. Many of them, like Elianne Andam, were just making their way to or from school, running errands or meeting up with friends.

On Wednesday morning, schoolgirl Elianne Andam was fatally stabbed on her way to school in Croydon, nicknamed "London's knife crime capital". The 15-year-old, described as "bright and funny with many friends who all adored her", is thought to have died defending her friend from unwanted attention from a 17-year-old boy, who then stabbed her.

It signals an even broader tragedy of which Elianne is only the most recent victim. Knife crime has spiked by more than 34% in the last decade in England and Wales.

It is being described as a "public health crisis" which policy-makers are racing to find solutions for. Some think it is time to crack down harder on carrying knives, particularly among young people.

Guns were outlawed in the UK at the very end of the 20th Century after a mass shooting in Scotland, and it was very effective in preventing further gun violence. Some argue that this means that tougher laws and punishments may be the most effective policy.

Meanwhile, street violence researchers have found that incidences of street violence are highest in areas where wealthy and poorer communities live side-by-side. Many think that this suggests that violence increases as the economic inequalityWhen money and opportunities are not shared equally between different groups in society. between rich and poor widens, and believe that solving the problem lies in resolving economic deprivationWhen people go without many of the things they need to live comfortably. .

Yes: We should be focusing on preventing young people from being able to carry knives. We need more stop and search, more monitoring and communication from educators and more policing.

No: It is clear that stopping people from carrying knives is not the most effective solution - and moreover, it will be almost impossible to actually regulate. We should invest money in community spaces, educational groups and social workers.

Or... If knife crime rises in regions of high socioeconomic insecurity and inequality, then we need to be doing more to ensure that inequality can be narrowed and everybody has equal access to opportunities.