Today was a good day. I just got back from London where I was featured on GMTV.
I was phoned on Friday by GMTV to ask if I was willing to appear on their show as they were doing a piece on knife crime & the governments new initiative to perform 'sting operations' sending 'trained youths' into shops to see if they would sell them knives. Well, they flew me down on Sunday. Unfortunately the trip didn't go as planned, as Heathrow Airport got closed down due to a fire alarm going off in the air traffic control centre. We got diverted to Luton where we spent a couple of hours on the tarmac, deep joy! Never mind, the hotel was lovely (got in at 11pm) & after 4 hours sleep I was whisked off to GMTV studio's to 'do my thang'.
So what do I think of the latest government initiative? I have heard that various youth workers have criticised it, & said it won't have any effect on knife carrying as most kids just take them out of the kitchen drawer, & they are right- to a point. I personally do think that its worth doing though. The folks I know in trading standards are hard working people who do great work, & if they feel that certain shops have been illegally selling knives to children then its worth doing something about it. Cutting down on violent crime is going to take many different scheme's & initiatives. If sending some youths into shops as a sting to see if they are sold knives stops these shops from selling even one little chav a knife that would otherwise end up killing another innocent victim it is worth it! However, only if it is- as the government minister also on the programme said- part of a wider range of measures. The trouble is that Governments have a horrible habit of coming out with a wide range of useless measures which are more about looking good in the press than actually doing anything. Part of the trouble is that the people who come up with these measures don't really understand the problems. As Councillor Jim Millar has said in his excellent Blog, when actually questioned about what initiatives are in place it actually turns out that nobody actually has a clue; as there aren't any. My concern is that we're going to see the usual bunch of knife amnesty's, weapons bans, additional & un-needed legislation etc. I suggest anyone interested in the reality of the subject should check out http://www.jimmillar.blogspot.com/ & his entry 'Pointless Legislation II'. I'm not a politician, & I don't have any particular political leanings; I'm purely concerned with trying to make a difference in my own little way. I'm happy to work with any organisation that really wants to make a difference, & believe it or not I do try to not be too damning of the current government. Jim does make some excellent points in his blog though, & they are the truth. Both the SNP & Labour need to address reality & forget quick fixes & PR stunt legislation. If I don't think it'll work I'll say so regardless of the political party or organisation involved. That isn't to say I'm not happy to help them improve their schemes.
One thing I keep going on about is 'Perception V's Reality'. You'll hear me speaking about this quite often, as it is easy for you to let Perception overcome Reality when you don't really understand the reality that you're speaking about. If the government is serious about doing something about violent crime (not just knife crime) it is going to take more than just some initiatives that let them say "look we're doing something". The one thing that ministers just STILL don't seem to get is that the average Joe in the street can see right through their PR initiatives that accomplish nothing. The odd good idea does come out- for instance getting people who have done prison time for using weapons to speak to kids found carrying knives is a great idea. These 'Scared Straight' type programmes definitely help, as it gets through to the decent kids who are carrying through fear. The little chavs who won't listen to anything need to be harshly dealt with by law enforcement & the legal system! The problem is that the government needs to stop trying to simply deal with the fear of armed crime, & deal with the problem itself. An example I've made a few times is to do with this pointless exercise in licensing shops that sell the dreaded 'non-domestic knife'. So here is an example of a really scary 'non domestic knife'.
Looks absolutely deadly doesn't it.....frightening looking? Yes it is! But believe it or not as a weapon it is absolutely useless. I bought one to use as a demonstration piece. It is FAR less effective as a weapon than this domestic knife. I'm a qualified instructor of several knife systems & I have an intimate understanding of exactly how effective different blade shapes & designs will perform as weapons!
The scary & deadly looking knife is so blunt it wouldn't cut through clothing. In fact it won't even cut my bare flesh! The domestic knife is designed to cut meat & will cut through clothing, skin & muscle. What’s more it'll cause a deep penetrating wound when used in the thrust (cuts, though they cause terrible wounds, rarely kill; it's the thrust that kills). The big difference is that a youth would have to buy the scary looking non domestic knife, where-as the kitchen knife is gotten free of charge from their parents’ kitchen! People tend to go for the 'freebie' when they intend to throw the weapon away after use more often than not. Now, don't get me wrong- I don't think that kids should be free to buy knives like that; but licensing shops that sell 'non domestic knives' is just like putting a chocolate ashtray on a motorcycle you intend to ride through hell! Let me put it into perspective, here in Arbroath we have an excellently & responsibly run shop that deals in hunting & fishing gear. If this legislation goes through they will have to get a licence to sell the small number of 'non domestic knives' they stock (which are entirely comprised of the type of knives needed by people going fishing or hunting). Now right next door is a shop that sells all sorts of stuff at knockdown prices, & has a huge range of kitchen knives that would cut you to the bone with no effort at all. Will they need licensed? No! Which shop is selling the more dangerous knives at the cheaper price, & which shop is selling the cheaper knives that are the main type of knife used in violent crimes? Get my drift?
What many people find surprising is that personally I find shops with windows full of cheap & nasty fantasy knives & hunting knives distasteful. I don't personally like shops having knives like the one pictured above in the shop window, as it does sensationalise them to some degree & as an instructor of several blade arts I hate cheap & nasty lumps of steel like that. The thing is, as tacky as I find these shops their existence has little to do with knife crime.
So, why don't we stop trying to do the pointless & move onto doing things that might actually make a difference? Making a difference will be more difficult & longer term. The things that need to be done may well take some flak from certain pressure groups. As I tell my martial arts students though, the only things worth having are those that are the most difficult to achieve, & sometimes the loudest voices aren't the ones to listen to.
Big thanks to all the staff at GMTV for a great experience, anytime you need me folks you know where I am.
Mark
I was phoned on Friday by GMTV to ask if I was willing to appear on their show as they were doing a piece on knife crime & the governments new initiative to perform 'sting operations' sending 'trained youths' into shops to see if they would sell them knives. Well, they flew me down on Sunday. Unfortunately the trip didn't go as planned, as Heathrow Airport got closed down due to a fire alarm going off in the air traffic control centre. We got diverted to Luton where we spent a couple of hours on the tarmac, deep joy! Never mind, the hotel was lovely (got in at 11pm) & after 4 hours sleep I was whisked off to GMTV studio's to 'do my thang'.
So what do I think of the latest government initiative? I have heard that various youth workers have criticised it, & said it won't have any effect on knife carrying as most kids just take them out of the kitchen drawer, & they are right- to a point. I personally do think that its worth doing though. The folks I know in trading standards are hard working people who do great work, & if they feel that certain shops have been illegally selling knives to children then its worth doing something about it. Cutting down on violent crime is going to take many different scheme's & initiatives. If sending some youths into shops as a sting to see if they are sold knives stops these shops from selling even one little chav a knife that would otherwise end up killing another innocent victim it is worth it! However, only if it is- as the government minister also on the programme said- part of a wider range of measures. The trouble is that Governments have a horrible habit of coming out with a wide range of useless measures which are more about looking good in the press than actually doing anything. Part of the trouble is that the people who come up with these measures don't really understand the problems. As Councillor Jim Millar has said in his excellent Blog, when actually questioned about what initiatives are in place it actually turns out that nobody actually has a clue; as there aren't any. My concern is that we're going to see the usual bunch of knife amnesty's, weapons bans, additional & un-needed legislation etc. I suggest anyone interested in the reality of the subject should check out http://www.jimmillar.blogspot.com/ & his entry 'Pointless Legislation II'. I'm not a politician, & I don't have any particular political leanings; I'm purely concerned with trying to make a difference in my own little way. I'm happy to work with any organisation that really wants to make a difference, & believe it or not I do try to not be too damning of the current government. Jim does make some excellent points in his blog though, & they are the truth. Both the SNP & Labour need to address reality & forget quick fixes & PR stunt legislation. If I don't think it'll work I'll say so regardless of the political party or organisation involved. That isn't to say I'm not happy to help them improve their schemes.
One thing I keep going on about is 'Perception V's Reality'. You'll hear me speaking about this quite often, as it is easy for you to let Perception overcome Reality when you don't really understand the reality that you're speaking about. If the government is serious about doing something about violent crime (not just knife crime) it is going to take more than just some initiatives that let them say "look we're doing something". The one thing that ministers just STILL don't seem to get is that the average Joe in the street can see right through their PR initiatives that accomplish nothing. The odd good idea does come out- for instance getting people who have done prison time for using weapons to speak to kids found carrying knives is a great idea. These 'Scared Straight' type programmes definitely help, as it gets through to the decent kids who are carrying through fear. The little chavs who won't listen to anything need to be harshly dealt with by law enforcement & the legal system! The problem is that the government needs to stop trying to simply deal with the fear of armed crime, & deal with the problem itself. An example I've made a few times is to do with this pointless exercise in licensing shops that sell the dreaded 'non-domestic knife'. So here is an example of a really scary 'non domestic knife'.
Looks absolutely deadly doesn't it.....frightening looking? Yes it is! But believe it or not as a weapon it is absolutely useless. I bought one to use as a demonstration piece. It is FAR less effective as a weapon than this domestic knife. I'm a qualified instructor of several knife systems & I have an intimate understanding of exactly how effective different blade shapes & designs will perform as weapons!
The scary & deadly looking knife is so blunt it wouldn't cut through clothing. In fact it won't even cut my bare flesh! The domestic knife is designed to cut meat & will cut through clothing, skin & muscle. What’s more it'll cause a deep penetrating wound when used in the thrust (cuts, though they cause terrible wounds, rarely kill; it's the thrust that kills). The big difference is that a youth would have to buy the scary looking non domestic knife, where-as the kitchen knife is gotten free of charge from their parents’ kitchen! People tend to go for the 'freebie' when they intend to throw the weapon away after use more often than not. Now, don't get me wrong- I don't think that kids should be free to buy knives like that; but licensing shops that sell 'non domestic knives' is just like putting a chocolate ashtray on a motorcycle you intend to ride through hell! Let me put it into perspective, here in Arbroath we have an excellently & responsibly run shop that deals in hunting & fishing gear. If this legislation goes through they will have to get a licence to sell the small number of 'non domestic knives' they stock (which are entirely comprised of the type of knives needed by people going fishing or hunting). Now right next door is a shop that sells all sorts of stuff at knockdown prices, & has a huge range of kitchen knives that would cut you to the bone with no effort at all. Will they need licensed? No! Which shop is selling the more dangerous knives at the cheaper price, & which shop is selling the cheaper knives that are the main type of knife used in violent crimes? Get my drift?
What many people find surprising is that personally I find shops with windows full of cheap & nasty fantasy knives & hunting knives distasteful. I don't personally like shops having knives like the one pictured above in the shop window, as it does sensationalise them to some degree & as an instructor of several blade arts I hate cheap & nasty lumps of steel like that. The thing is, as tacky as I find these shops their existence has little to do with knife crime.
So, why don't we stop trying to do the pointless & move onto doing things that might actually make a difference? Making a difference will be more difficult & longer term. The things that need to be done may well take some flak from certain pressure groups. As I tell my martial arts students though, the only things worth having are those that are the most difficult to achieve, & sometimes the loudest voices aren't the ones to listen to.
Big thanks to all the staff at GMTV for a great experience, anytime you need me folks you know where I am.
Mark