Recent data reveals a troubling rise in police force used on children as knife crime escalates, raising concerns about youth violence.
London: Police are finding themselves in a tough spot, having to use force more often on kids. This is happening as knife crime is on the rise, and the numbers are pretty alarming.
From March 2023 to March 2024, the cases where police had to step in with force on children jumped over 14%. We’re talking about more than 85,000 incidents, which is a huge increase from just a few years back.
Can you believe that some of these kids are under 11? In the last year alone, there were 546 cases where officers had to pull out their guns. They also used Tasers, handcuffs, and other methods to control the situation.
It’s not just the police who are worried. A lot of kids are saying they’ve faced violence too. The stats show that knife crime is creeping back up to levels we saw before the pandemic.
In London, knife crime has hit a record high, with over 15,000 incidents reported just in the last year. That’s a 16% increase from the year before. It’s a serious issue that needs attention.
Jon Yates from the Youth Endowment Fund is sounding the alarm. He says while most police force is used on adults, the rise in incidents involving kids is concerning. He believes we need to do more to support these young people.
Yates emphasizes that the government’s goal to cut knife crime in half needs more than just police action. We need mentors and therapists to help kids before they get into trouble.
Overall, police use of force has skyrocketed, with over 747,000 incidents reported. That’s more than 2,000 a day! And while most of these cases involve adults, a significant number involve kids under 17.
It’s shocking to think that 20% of kids have been victims of violence in the past year. Many of them are getting hurt, and some are even carrying weapons. This is a wake-up call for all of us.
Yates points out that we’re losing too many young lives to violence. He stresses the need for better support systems to help kids who are struggling. We really need to step up and make a difference.
