Clean up Britain

The UK government are struggling to contain the rise in knife crime amongst teenagers. Two more men were stabbed to death at the weekend and a third is fighting for his life bringing the total in London alone to 50 victims of knife crime for this year. The annual number of hospital admissions for knife injuries has risen in recent years from 3,000 to 5,000 while the age of those carrying and using knives has fallen steeply.

Tomorrow three senior ministers - home secretary Jacqui Smith, the justice secretary Jack Straw and the children's secretary Ed Balls - will unveil the government's £100m youth crime action plan. Curfews after 9pm, the introduction of a non-military National Service even the notion of making knife carriers visit victims in hospitals have been suggested. These measures have been heavily criticised by opposition groups who say that the only effective way to deal with this type of crime is to enforce prison sentences on the guilty.

Parties in Parliament arguing amongst themselves is not going to solve the problem. Thankfully all seem to agree that in the long term there needs to be a change in culture away from the street gang, binge drinking, drug taking, knife carrying model that teenagers currently follow to something more acceptable. How that is achieved is what they need to agree upon.For sure the change won't happen overnight.

Undoubtedly, schools will be expected to play a big part in this 'clean up' of Britain.

Heads are already able to frisk pupils they believe may be carrying weapons. Now Children’s Secretary Ed Balls plans to allow them to look for stolen goods, alcohol and even cigarettes.

He said yesterday: “I want to build on the powers we have already given teachers by extending these to cover other inappropriate items.

“It will ensure that everyone knows that a teacher’s authority in the classroom is unquestionable.”

That marks a huge change from the 'softly softly' approach that was advocated when we were in the classroom and a major step forward from the protected status that children enjoyed in the 80s and 90s.

Perhaps the powers that be are waking up to the fact that children need to be lead and controlled in their behaviour rather than being left to 'find themselves'. Of course children have rights but they should not extend beyond those of the adults responsible for them.

Fundamentally it is up to the parents to guide their children, supervise them if you like. Clearly that is not happening in a lot of households anymore.