Can Britain stop knife crime? Last year 99 young people were killed with a knife. Most agree that action is needed to stop more deaths.
Stabbed to death outside the school gates
Can Britain stop knife crime? Last year 99 young people were killed with a knife. Most agree that action is needed to stop more deaths.
What's happening?
Khayri Mclean was only 15 when he died. Last September, he was stabbed as he left his school in HuddersfieldA town in West Yorkshire, England, with a population of more than 150,000. , northern England.
The two people who stabbed him were also teenagers, aged 15 and 16. Last week, they were told they must spend 16 and 18 years in prison each - longer than they have been alive.
Khayri is not the only teenager to die after being stabbed in Britain this year. In fact, nearly one in five people who go to hospital with stab woundsWhen the skin is broken, for example by a cut. are under 18.
ExpertsSomeone who knows a lot about a particular subject. disagree on why Britain has a problem with knife crime. Some say the Covid-19 lockdowns has left more teenagers being exploitedWhen someone is using something or someone else, often hurting them. by gangs.
Others think the key link is poverty, and cuts in spending on things such as youth services and opportunities for young people.
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And others say that some police forces are not taking young people seriously enough when they report knife crime.
Meanwhile, some say it is far too easy for teenagers to access knives.
There is one thing most people agree on: teenagers in Britain need more opportunities. But some ask if this alone will be enough to stop knife crime?
Yes! Most experts think the amount of knife crime will fall if leaders focus on stopping crime, rather than punishing it. If teenagers have hope for the future, violence will stop.
No! More money needs to be spent on young people - but at the moment, there is little money to spend on everything. And we cannot simply ban all knives.
Can Britain stop knife crime?
Keywords
Huddersfield - A town in West Yorkshire, England, with a population of more than 150,000.
Wounds - When the skin is broken, for example by a cut.
Experts - Someone who knows a lot about a particular subject.
Exploited - When someone is using something or someone else, often hurting them.
Stabbed to death outside the school gates
Glossary
Huddersfield - A town in West Yorkshire, England, with a population of more than 150,000.
Wounds - When the skin is broken, for example by a cut.
Experts - Someone who knows a lot about a particular subject.
Exploited - When someone is using something or someone else, often hurting them.