Cause for concern

News that a 16-year-old has been charged with the stabbing of Kiyan Prince an aspiring footballer at the London Academy in Edgware has led to claims that youths are routinely carrying knives for protection.

According to the police though, on average, only two crimes per week are committed using knives in a borough with a population of around 310,000.

Detective Inspector Richard Walton, of Barnet police, pointed out that it is not something to fear in the borough.

"We are not complacent about this crime but it is not a growing problem in Barnet," he said. "But it only takes one, as we have seen, to lead to a serious crime. Any juvenile carrying a knife has the potential for it to lead to a serious violent offence."

Figures produced by Barnet Council show that, during the 2004-05 academic year, there were six incidents in Barnet schools involving the possession or brandishing of knives up from one the previous year. The council stressed there were no attacks and no pupils were injured in school.

Barnet Action 4 Youth (BA4Y) part of the national crime prevention organisation Crime Concern works with Barnet's young people to reduce crime and create safer communities.

BA4Y project manager Alison Kira said: "Although these figures are still relatively low, it does reflect the rapidly growing trend for young people carrying knives and we hope that an equally rapid response will prevent the trend continuing. Young people keep bringing up the issue of other young people carrying knives. There are different themes once it was mobile phone thefts and happy slapping, and now they have identified gangs and knives as a concern."

The groups produce leaflets and films raising awareness of their concerns and have been involved in the planning of Barnet Council and BA4Y's conference for young people, due to take place yesterday, to educate and deter them from knife crime and involvement in gangs.

Each secondary school in Barnet has been asked to identify the most vulnerable or at-risk pupils aged between 11 and 14 and invite them to the event which was due to take place on the first day of the Government's knife amnesty at North London Business Park. Police also regularly visit schools and youth groups to reinforce the message about the dangers and implications of carrying knives and other weapons.

So how widespread is the problem? The Offensive Weapons Act legislates that it is against the law to sell any sort of knives to young people under the age of 16. Police figures reveal that last year, of the 21 under-18s who were arrested for possessing a knife under this Act, eight were charged. A further 13 were charged with possessing another offensive weapon.

Dr Peter Kennison, senior lecturer in criminology at Middlesex University, co-researched and co-wrote the Barnet Crime and Disorder Audits 1998-2001 and 2001-04. A former police officer with more than 26 years of experience in north and east London, he explains that, within each peer group, there is often a hierarchy of status and power. "Young people often carry knives when they have disputes or just in case for protection," he said. "Bullying can be a problem for a lot of children and is a problem not only in Barnet but also everywhere else.

"These groups are not always delinquent but seek to protect those within that group. People want to be accepted and it is no different for children as it is for adults. If you are being bullied, unless you stand up to the bullies, you may continue to be bullied, but if you are part of a big group, that's your protection. If someone else is carrying a knife then there is a chance you will arm yourself for your own protection and go and get a knife."

But he adds a note of caution. "It must be remembered that Barnet is not only the 11th safest borough in London, but has the second-largest population of any borough and with large numbers of young people."

He emphasises that violence within the borough is low, with 17 violent crimes per 1,000 people, compared to the Metropolitan Police average of 25 per 1,000.

Knives are bought from a variety of outlets, including sports, army utility and DIY shops. But they are very often obtained by someone older or are stolen.

The borough police commander, Chief Superintendent Mark Ricketts, explained: "Children can get a kitchen knife from home, but if you accept that some of these youngsters are carrying knives as fashion accessories, it's going to be the lock knives and the flick knives which are illegal.

"They need to know that they will go to court and face the prospect of significant penalties."

But he too is keen to remind people that not all young people are offenders. "The young are the victims here and we know from all of our research that the young have a very, very keen fear of crime," he said.

Individual schools wanting to introduce security equipment such as airport-style scanners can ask their council about doing so as the College of North East London, in Tottenham, did last week but no school in Barnet has requested such measures yet.

Although Mr Ricketts says he would support schools wanting this security, he added: "But I don't think there are schools in Barnet that would need that on a regular basis."

Dr Kennison cites prevention, education and detection as the way forward, firstly by reducing the availability of knives to young people. "Then, by using experience, educate young people by showing them exactly how dangerous knives can be by illustrating some of the injuries they can cause," he said.

Richard Diston, a master instructor at the Black Belt Leadership Academy, based at Mill Hill School, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, believes young people need to be taught that they have other options than to carry weapons. "The kids aren't bad, but they are making bad choices," he said. "It's about giving them a different way of thinking. For example, the correct diagnosis of a situation is far more effective than any kick or punch.

"I think it is desperation more than anything when you talk to these kids, they say things like I have a right to defend myself', Everyone else has got one and they don't realise the escalation.

"There is this Hollywood mentality that you can do this stuff and there are no repercussions they don't understand that a 3cm stab wound to the centre of the body will kill."

He has offered to give a free seminar to any child who is concerned about personal safety.

For more information on Crime Concern and BA4Y, visit www.crimeconcern.org.uk Mr Diston can be contacted on 07899 886645.