Knife 'arms race' feared among young in Britain

Britain is in the grip of a knife "arms race", especially in deprived city areas, as more teenagers arm themselves for protection, an inquiry by MPs said yesterday.

The jump in youths carrying knives and knife-related violence in the last few years has been driven by a lack of trust in the ability of police and parents to keep kids safe, the Home Affairs Committee study said.

"We are seeing a spiralling of the arms race as far as knife crime is concerned," said committee chairman and Labour MP Keith Vaz. "Young people carry knives because they fear that others are carrying knives.

"This spiralling of knife possession puts all young people at risk. We have to stop this arms race," he said.

While the report stressed the number of teenagers who actually use knives in acts of violence is "very small," and that the overall murder rate has been stable since 2006, it found killings with knives had jumped 26 per cent in Britain from 2005 to 2007.

The wave of violence, it said, mostly emanated from deprived inner city areas where groups of youths fought turf wars.

It also said evidence from hospitals showed that knife injuries had become more common since 2006, and that the fallout from knife crime was costing the country an estimated £1.25 billion a year.

The report found that older teenagers were more likely to carry knives, but also, that children as young as seven had been caught with blades.

It said 11 was a key risk age for first carrying a knife, presumably linked to the transition from primary to secondary school and the pressures that step-change involved.

The committee said it supported the use of prison sentences for knife possession and the use of widespread stop-and-search powers, but that it had noted the failure of custodial sentences to prevent reoffending.

The Conservatives criticised Labour for not being tough enough on offenders yesterday.

Citing government figures, they pointed out that just one person received the new maximum sentence of four years for possession of a knife in the year to last September.

"It's demoralising for the victims of knife crime if there is an expectation of a tough sentence for offenders which doesn't materialise in reality," said Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Grayling.

Evidence gathered as part of the inquiry also found that violent DVDs and video games have a negative influence on those who watch and play them. It said the games increased a person's predisposition to be violent by some 10 per cent.