Getting a knife is like ‘ordering a pizza’: the reality of Britain’s knife crime epidemic
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By Rosie MacLeod
In the summer of 2008, the UK was shocked and saddened by the fatal stabbing of teenager Ben Kinsella in an unprovoked attack. Thirteen years on, his demographic category (young men) remains the most vulnerable to the growing dangers of the blade. There were ‘285 deaths by a knife or sharp instrument in the 12 months ending March 2018’. Amongst the victims, around 71 (one in four) were male and between the ages of 18-24.
Trust issues, insecurity, and wealth inequality
Ben Kinsella’s 16-24 age group is now ‘45% more likely to suffer knife attacks than in 1946, when records began’.
The rising number of young people that are threatened and traumatised at knifepoint is concerning. Firstly, this could make for a future epidemic of PTSD and mental health problems. Secondly, young people are more naïve, impressionable and likely to fall in with the wrong crowd. Slippery slopes cost futures.
With the above in mind, the social enterprise Inside Success serves to raise aware...
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