Knife Crime on Radio 4

[durulz]

Driving into work this morning and there was an interesting programme on Radio 4 about knife crime. More specifically, on how knife crime is reported in the media. It's tone was very accusatory of the media - blaming them of exaggeration and hysteria. As such, I suspect it will find a lot of favour with members of this forum.
It's well worth a listen and you can hear it on Radio 4's 'Listen Again' thingy-whatsit. Here's a link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/progs/listenagain.shtml
Just scroll all the way down to 'Inside Stories' and click on the 'listen' icon.

 

[Bernie Garland]

Driving into work this morning and there was an interesting programme on Radio 4 about knife crime. More specifically, on how knife crime is reported in the media. It's tone was very accusatory of the media - blaming them of exaggeration and hysteria. As such, I suspect it will find a lot of favour with members of this forum.
It's well worth a listen and you can hear it on Radio 4's 'Listen Again' thingy-whatsit. Here's a link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/progs/listenagain.shtml
Just scroll all the way down to 'Inside Stories' and click on the 'listen' icon.

Well we all know what the medias like,cheers for the link.

Bernie

 

[John Fenna]

Well we all know what the medias like,cheers for the link.

Bernie

Rrrrhem!
I, as a freelance writer, submitting to magazines such as Sporting Shooter and GunMart, am part of "the Media".
The Radio 4 presenter of the piece you have listened to is a part of "the Media".

Obviously you cannot tar the whole of "the Media" with the same brush.......

I like knives (including yours Bernie!) and I opose anti-knife hysteria!

 

[Bernie Garland]

Rrrrhem!
I, as a freelance writer, submitting to magazines such as Sporting Shooter and GunMart, am part of "the Media".
The Radio 4 presenter of the piece you have listened to is a part of "the Media".

Obviously you cannot tar the whole of "the Media" with the same brush.......

I like knives (including yours Bernie!) and I opose anti-knife hysteria!

Point taken John,your right you can't tar them all with the same brush my mistake,

Bernie

 

[durulz]

For what it's worth, I too am a freelance writer AND I used to work for The Guardian. So I am also part of the media.

 

[British Red]

I've got a really BIG brush though and lots of tar (and some feathers)

Does anyone mind if I try?

I may have enough left over for the estate agents

 

[John Fenna]

Do the estate agents first!

 

[Mastino]

Once I was told that you'll never be sharper than your knife. Let that be true for discussions as well.

 

[ganstey]

I also listened to that whilst on my way to Westonbirt yesterday. The 'media' that was represented was a couple of tabloids, one of the broadsheets (can't remember which), London Evening Standard, and the BBC (radio and TV). There were quite a few accusations flying around, mainly between members of the panel. However the guy from The Sun (or was it the Mirror) shot himself in the foot on several occasions by pretty much admitting that they will write what people expect to read, and then try and find statistics to back it up. Quite interesting in this case, as they all admitted that there was only one year's statistics on 'knife crime', and so all the reports about massive increases in knife crime, and it spreading to rural areas where it hadn't existed before were, to be charitable, a subjective interpretation of the available information.

Unfortunately, as I'm increasingly finding at the moment, interviewers have their own agenda, regardless of what is said, and the interviewer was definitely trying to stir things. Sadly no-one commented on the fact that the figures, such as they exist appear to be increasing or at best staying the same, despite 'knives now being banned'. Sadly the BBC seem to have dumbed things down so much over the last couple of years, that they've almost joined the tabloid press in their attitude to reporting the news. And their news programmes are now more like gossip magazines, rather than the serious, factual, news reporting of old.

Think I better stop there...

G

 

[Tadpole]

. Quite interesting in this case, as they all admitted that there was only one year's statistics on 'knife crime', and so all the reports about massive increases in knife crime, and it spreading to rural areas where it hadn't existed before were, to be charitable, a subjective interpretation of the available information.


G

I like the fact that as you said they all admitted that they report the 'facts' as they think their readers think they are, and not the true figures. And then, the guy from the Scum said he didn't like the way that the 'others' pandered to their readership.
If 'they' the man in the street, thinks that knife crime is up, it's not in their interest for the real fact to be published by the papers and news media, because they wouldn't be believed. however if the news media had published the 'known facts' when they became known, there would not have been much to report in terms of a snappy attention grabbing headline
Hoodies, are not criminals they are just bored kids
Knife crime not a fact.
All Crime is down, in real terms.
They don't really trip of the tongue as smarty as
Broken Britain

 

[crwydryny]

Hoodies, are not criminals they are just bored kids
Knife crime not a fact.
All Crime is down, in real terms.
They don't really trip of the tongue as smarty as
Broken Britain

I have to agree with you. it's crazy how a few idiots reuin it for everyone. though that said I've been attacked by a knife once, by someone deciding he was tough because he had a knife and was waving it about like an idiot so I told him to put it away before he injured himself, which resulted in him slashing at me and running behind a table before I could grab him. long story short I ended up jumping the table when he slashed at my hand cutting the back of my fingers before I punched him out and took the knife off him (he still hasn't had it back all these years later). it's a pet peve off mine that I can't stand people who mess about with knives and treat them like toys instead off giving them the respect they deserve.

 

[ganstey]

Hoodies, are not criminals they are just bored kids
Knife crime not a fact.

Have to disagree slightly with you there Tadpole, some Hoodies are criminals, and knife crime does exist. However, i do agree with your sentiments that the papers are there to sell copy. As the old adage goes... Never let the facts get in the way of a good story.

G

 

[Cairodel]

Well this should stir things up.....
As a member of "The Medja", from watching Sky and BBC news, something
I have noted is that around 95% of victims/perpetrators in the current wave of
"knife crime" are either immigrants or 2nd/3rd generation immigrants.....
Uncomfortable, maybe, but tell me I am wrong......!?!

 

[Tadpole]

Well this should stir things up.....
As a member of "The Medja", from watching Sky and BBC news, something
I have noted is that around 95% of victims/perpetrators in the current wave of
"knife crime" are either immigrants or 2nd/3rd generation immigrants.....
Uncomfortable, maybe, but tell me I am wrong......!?!

Ok you are wrong,

Things posted without proof can be dismissed without proof.

 

[Cairodel]

Merely my opinion, Tadpole, but it would appear that no-one, not even the
Home Office will reveal figures....

http://www.insight-security.com/facts-knife-crime-stats.htm

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1546085/The-vagaries-of-UK-knife-crime-statistics.html

http://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/opus439/ccjs_knife_report.pdf


Quote : [Following a recent Freedom of Information Act request concerning
the ethnicity of those accused of knife-enabled robbery, knife-enabled
violence and knife-enabled crime and the ethnicity of the victims of these
crimes, the Home Office responded that ‘this information is not held centrally’.
The only data the Home Office was able to provide were figures on the
ethnicity of homicide victims killed by ‘sharp instruments’.]

Wouldn’t want to upset anybody, would we…..?!?

 

[Toddy]

There isn't a huge immigrant population in Scotland, and I have to tell you that the vast majority of knife crime is commited by locals against locals.

Besides, the damned figures are biased. If I cut myself with a knife and present at A & E for stitching, technically that's a bladed implement injury and it gets added to the figures Doesn't even matter if I simply slipped with a tattie peeler, it's a knife!
Piece of nonsense.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Tadpole]

There isn't a huge immigrant population in Scotland, and I have to tell you that the vast majority of knife crime is commited by locals against locals.

Besides, the damned figures are biased. If I cut myself with a knife and present at A & E for stitching, technically that's a bladed implement injury and it gets added to the figures Doesn't even matter if I simply slipped with a tattie peeler, it's a knife!
Piece of nonsense.

cheers,
Toddy

It's not even a simple as that: The figures are worked out by sampling a group of hospitals (that represent the overall make up of the population), recording their figures, then extrapolating the data to cover the whole of the country. The hospitals have to have 24 hour A& E deal with more than 10,000 cases per year and are serviced by ambulances. Of the 300 such hospitals, they select 18 that meet their needs, for population demographics

In the case of accidents/injuries that require hospital treatment, they then discard the highest and lowest figures and take the mean average over all the hospital visits in the period in question. They then give you a range, between x and y and an average with in that range and that average is the figure quoted. This method ‘they’ think gives you a figure with a 90% possibility of being accurate within the bounds of the study

Right, so taking injuries with a bladed implement 3,283 (this included butter knife, domestic knife, carving knife, meat cleaver, non-domestic knife, scalpel in handle, scalpel not in handle, toy knife, toy sword. (55 toy sword injuries warranting treatment in an A&E). This is extrapolated across England and Wales into 77,010 injuries needing hospital treatment.
So if you’re A&E is part of the hospital survey, for every time you sit on a tattie knife you are responsible for 54 accident points added to the yearly figures +/- 10%
HASS/LASS report 2002
2,400 (54,126) people hurt themselves enough to need treatment in an A&E from opening a domestic door.

I think we need to look in to making doors much safer

 

[Cairodel]

You're both quite right, Toddy and Tadpole, these figures ARE recorded....

But NOT in the crime figures....

Toddy quote : [There isn't a huge immigrant population in Scotland, and I have to tell you that the vast majority of knife crime is commited by locals against locals.]

Where did you get this "fact from", or do you rely on news reports, as I do...