Express & Star comment: Urgent action needed on knife crime
Day in, day out, this newspaper reports on the depressing toll that knife crime is having on the West Midlands.
The number of incidents is startlingly high, and all too often, the result is the death of a victim.
Families and friends are left to deal with the devastating fall out.
Sign the Express & Star's petition calling for tougher sentences for knife crime here
Increasingly often, when victims do manage to survive, it is down to the swift response and bravery of our emergency services and hospital medical staff.
As we highlight today on our front page, the scale of stabbings and murders – particularly in the Black Country – has already reached unprecedented levels in the early weeks of 2018.
We have seen 21 stabbings since the turn of the year. Five of them have been fatal.
The victims include eight-year-old Mylee Billingham, who was stabbed to death at her home in Brownhills in January, and Jasmine Forrester, 11, who lost her life after being stabbed in Wolverhampton.
The most recent official figures show that the number of deaths caused by knives went up by 77 per cent in the two years to 2017.
Tragically, if the death rate continues at its current levels, 2018 will be by far the most murderous in living memory.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd has insisted that the Government will get tough on knife crime.
She has launched a new strategy aimed at curbing violent crime, and has called on Labour to support legislation to stop online retailers from selling knives to children.
Knife crime must not under any circumstances become an issue for political point scoring.
Politicians from all parties should be coming together to find the best way to stop people from being murdered on our streets.
Urgent action is needed from the Government and our courts of law.
Whatever our police forces have been doing to combat knife crime up to now, one thing is clear.
It is not working.
Deterrent
Many people would argue that closing down police stations is not the way forward.
Neither is taking officers away from our communities and putting them behind desks.
Chief Constables' Dave Thompson and Gareth Morgan, please take note.
However, these issues only represent half the story.
When caught, those found to be carrying knives must face a stronger deterrent from our criminal justice system.
Anyone who has possession of an offensive weapon must know with absolute certainty that they will face a custodial sentence.
At present, this only applies to people found guilty of a second offence involving a blade.
By that time it can often be too late.
Damning
The law must be enabled to adopt a hard line on anyone caught carrying a knife.
As Ms Rudd said, possessing a knife has become almost normal behaviour for a significant number of people.
This is a damning indictment on our criminal justice system.
It must be addressed by the authorities. While our police forces have embarked on a number of excellent community initiatives to try and curb knife crime, they need more support.
And while additional resources are always welcome, this is not simply about money.
Sadly, there are people out there who, for whatever reason, are unable to see reason when it comes to carrying knives.
The only thing they understand is the full force of the law.
Today we are calling for the introduction of a mandatory prison sentence for anyone found carrying a knife.
It is the only way to change the warped mindset of those who are intent on causing such heartbreak, devastation and death.
This has to stop now.
Enough is enough.
