http://countercurrentnews.com/2014/11/british-police-calling-for-knife-ban/

British Police Call On Nation To ‘Save a Life, Surrender Your Knife’ As ‘Knife Violence’ Continues
November 14, 2014 12:48 pm·

knife_ban

The news out of the United Kingdom almost reads like a satire piece from The Onion. But as strange as it may sound to people around the world, and especially in the United States, the British police push to ban knives is no joke.

The new “Save a Life – Surrender Your Knife” program is in full swing and police are telling us that they have joined forces with an already growing trend in the United Kingdom to ban “pointy” knives.

Lancashire Police tell us that an “amnesty” program began at the end of August, and “more than 800 knives have been handed in across the county – including swords, machetes and commando knives.”

“The amnesty was extended for a further week owing to its success,” Lancashire Police representatives explained.

The Lancashire department explains that their “officers have now given their backing to a national initiative designed to raise awareness of knife crime and encourage the surrender of dangerous weapons.”

In spite of the amnesty ending this week, police tell us that “people can continue to hand in any knife at any police station with a front counter as well being able to drop them into the designated bins.”

Those bins will be in cities all over the U.K. as this call for people to turn in pointed knives continues.

“We are keen to raise awareness of the devastating impact of knife crime and to reduce the number of families affected so we have decided to keep the knife bins indefinitely,” Detective Chief Inspector Steve Dowson said.

“While projects encouraging the surrender of knives are not a single solution to violence, they have an important role to play in inspiring communities to get behind education and preventative measures,” he added. “Such campaigns show a desire to address local concerns and Lancashire Police is keen to throw our weight behind them in support.

“We’ve been delighted with the response so far, but our communities have told us that they want an end to knife crime and that they want to work with us to make that happen.”

A call from the British Medical Journal was published several years ago, arguing that “many assaults are committed impulsively, prompted by alcohol and drugs, and a kitchen knife often makes an all too available weapon,” according to the BBC.

Researchers “consulted 10 top chefs from around the UK, and found such knives have little practical value in the kitchen. None of the chefs felt such knives were essential, since the point of a short blade was just as useful when a sharp end was needed.”

Again, we remind our readers outside of the UK, that this is not satire, just another example of the government claiming they are here to protect us from ourselves.

In the UK, the rate of knife violence is approximately one in every 374 people victimized, compared with a rate of one in 750 people victimized by gun violence in the United States.

No payment? Can they sell their knives on Ebay? I'd like to see what I could get.

I bid $25USD for a Wilkinson Sword Fairbairn Sikes first pattern

What about screws and nails, and pens, and pencils...are they next?

How about ball peen hammers? I would prefer one of those any day over a knife for a weapon.

The only logical solution is to get rid of all those tools - no screw drivers, nails, scissors, pencils, pens, etc. If you need to fix something, call a professional who is licensed to have such tools. If you need to write, you can type on a computer keyboard or use a touchscreen. If you absolutely need to hand write, then you can use a crayon, chalk, or similar utensil. Pointy things are just too dangerous to take any chances. These rules are for your safety.

Gently, good sirs. Different culture, different problems, different solutions.

Never heard of this 'initiative' here in the UK.

But, we have a growing problem of young kids carrying big knives for 'defence' the scarier looking the better e.g. Buckmaster 184 style.

These are drawn at the smallest hint of trouble i.e. being 'dissed' or even being 'looked at hard' and often used for the most trivial reasons leading, of course, to horrendous wounds or death.

For the normal person there is not a problem. I have daily carried a pocket knife from school 12-13 years old to today 65 years old. Never had the tiniest niggle of a problem. The majority of my friends do the same.

This is the normal experience in our society, 14 year olds with 10" fantasy knives is not.

Recent example:
BBC News

Understood, it's just that perhaps a more logical way to tackle that issue would be getting the gangs off the streets, not knives.

Some time ago, there was a ban on "samurai" swords in the UK because they were used in several violent incidents. Now it's kitchen knives.

By the way, the proposed ban on all "pointy" knives is clearly open to a wide interpretation. The police officer in the newspaper article above is proudly showing off three "illegal" machetes, none of which seems a particularly effective stabbing weapon. So where does it end?

Yes absolutely, you have the problem in a nutshell.

Unfortunately we have an ever increasingly politicised police forces who are happier being seen to have done something rather than doing something that works.

It is so easy to blame knives and guns than deal with the real causes, which are difficult, messy, take time and are costly.

To answer your question, it ends when the police (and politicians) are held to account. I can't see the Metropolitan police with their corruption and incompetency lasting much longer before they are taken in hand, disbanded and reformed. Perhaps the incoming Mayor of London will do it?

It is interesting that Scotland with the wind of change blowing through (another subject, another day) have recently combined ALL of their police forces, including the Transport Police, a totally different organisation, into one 'Police Scotland'. Early days but worth watching.