Stop and search cuts gun and knife crime

Targeted stop-and-search tactics are an effective way to cut gun and knife crime, research suggests.

A review found that “hotspot” tactics, where police visited particular locations at particular times, could have a significant impact on crime. One highly successful strategy involved officers frisking people at traffic lights in high-crime urban areas.

The research, published today, was commissioned by Sir Al Aynsley-Green, the Children's Commissioner for England, who has spoken out against the rise of stop-and-search tactics, saying they are likely to intimidate and alienate young people.

Stop-and-search operations are running at a record level in London in a big operation to cut the number of teenage murders and gang fights in the capital.

Most research on knife and gun crime used in the study comes from the United States where efforts to tackle the problem are more intense, more varied and go back many more years than in the UK, providing a rich data source. It found targeted stop-and-search programmes successfully led to a fall in both the illegal carrying of weapons and in crime. In some areas, it led to a 30 per cent fall in crime.

The way in which police were perceived locally was also found to be important if crime reduction programmes were to be successful. The study was conducted by the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies at King's College London.

In an interview with The Times , Sir Al said the most striking thing from the research was that single interventions were not, on their own, a long-term solution to the problem

Sir Al said: “We are not against stop-and-search in principle, not least because children and young people say it is a visible way of making them feel safer. The research shows the methods are important, that used in hotspots, targeted and intelligence-led, it can make a difference short-term, and we welcome that. But there is always the downside that it can undermine other efforts to win sustainable acceptance among communities, and there is no conclusive evidence that long-term benefits may result.”

He said that there was a dearth of good research into the whole area of gun and knife crime, which this study was attempting to address. “There is huge public concern about weapons and weapons carrying after some quite dreadful events,” he said. “What is lacking from the debate is a really credible, authoritative examination of all the many and varied solutions.”

A poll of young people living in high-risk areas conducted by the Children's Commissioner found a quarter wanted more stop-and-search operations in their neighbourhood.

A spate of teenage murders in London led to the launch of Operation Blunt last May. Since the operation began there have been 175,998 searches, 6,270 arrests and 3,804 knives seized. Police say they have lowered knife crime by 27 per cent in nine out of 10 main knife crime areas.

The operation has been criticised by race campaigners, who say it undermines confidence in the police. Home Office figures show black people are six times more likely to be stopped than whites

Daughter of Barclays Bank's chairman targeted by animal rights extremists

Marie-Louise Agius, 31 — whose dad is supremo Marcus Agius — had graffiti daubed on the front door of her £1million home in Kensington, central London.

At 2am the next day, her car was smashed up while parked in an adjoining private garage.

The ghouls then boasted about the attack on an extremist website.

In a chilling warning to Marcus, 62, they wrote: “To give you a little preview of what may happen to people close to you we paid a visit to your daughter. She is not safe.”

Fanatics from the Animal Rights Militia are targeting Barclays for funding the Huntingdon Life Sciences testing lab in Cambs.

Scotland Yard are probing other attacks on homes and property of bank employees and their relatives.

Sources say acid and paint has also been hurled at the outside of bank branches across the South East.

Marie-Louise told The Sun: “I am not sure what the graffiti meant. It looked like sets of initials.

“The police took pictures. There was no clear message.

“Any question about the Barclays line of things, you will have to ask them. I have not got anything to do with any of that, it's not for me to say.”

Landscape gardener Marie-Louise, granddaughter of banking legend Edmund de Rothschild, reported the matter to Kensington and Chelsea CID.

Detectives are believed to have advised her to beef up security.

Millionaire dad-of-two Marcus, who was appointed Barclays chairman in 2007, famously reads The Sun and Financial Times each morning.

It is believed the South Kensington home he shares with wife Katherine has also been vandalised.

An anonymous extremist wrote on the ARM members' website: “We left a special message on your back garage door for you and your wife.

“For a top businessman you don't seem to be that good at making intelligent decisions, Marcus. So we've made it a bit easier for you.

“If Barclays Global Investors don't sell their shares in Huntingdon Life Sciences, people close to you are going to SUFFER .”

Four ARM activists were convicted of conspiracy to blackmail people involved in animal testing in December.

Their tactics ranged from personal attacks by incorrectly branding company directors paedophiles, through posting used sanitary towels and hoax bomb parcels.

A Met spokesman said last night: “We were called at 1.25pm on January 30 to reports of criminal damage to the front door of a property.

“Officers from Kensington and Chelsea attended and enquiries continue.

“We were then called at 2.07pm on January 31 to reports of a vandalised car in the garage of a residential property. This incident is believed to have happened at around 2am on January 30 and again local officers attended.

“We believe the incidents are linked. One line of enquiry is this may be the work of animal rights activists.”

The National Extremism Tactical Co-ordination Unit, which aims to thwart fanatics across the UK, added: “We are aware that there has been some targeting of financial institutions which are perceived to have links to the animal research industry, and that a number of incidents have taken place.

“Where criminal activity has occurred the police are investigating and will take appropriate action.”

Cops crackdown on knife crime

Merseyside Police continued its war on knife crime by taking part in a high-profile day of action.

The force-wide operation, which was supported by the Government's Tackling Knives Action programme (TKAP), saw a wide range of tactics and resources being used throughout the area with the aim of reducing and preventing knife related crime.

These included warrants being executed, hand-held metal detectors and safety arches being used on the transport network and outside licensed premises, test purchase operations on retailers and demonstrations and talks at local schools and colleges.

All areas of the force united to reinforce the message that carrying a knife is illegal and will not be tolerated.

Key results from the operation were: Over 14,800 pupils received knife crime educational input from officers; Over 8,200 people passed through the safety arches; Four people were arrested for offences ranging from possession of an offensive weapon (knives); 147 people were arrested for a range of offences including drug possession; Nine vehicles were seized during the operation; Twenty seven test purchase operations took place.

Superintendent Mike Cloherty said: "We are committed to tackling knife crime on Merseyside.

"Working with our partners we want to stamp out this problem and get knives off our streets.

"One strand of our joint approach is test purchasing operations such as this and we hope they send a clear message to retailers that we will take action against those who break the law.

"Tactics such as those being used tomorrow are regular feature of making the streets of Merseyside safe and transferring the fear of crime back on to the criminals themselves.

02 March 2009, Wirral Globe

Two a day caught carrying weapon on streets

Two people are caught carrying an offensive weapon on the streets of Edinburgh every day, new police figures revealed today. The figures also show that the number of people charged with possessing a knife in public has risen by 35 per cent in just three years.

Police today said the increase in charges was largely down to stricter law enforcement, with more patrols targeting and catching knife carriers.

Officers in the Capital have conducted a string of operations aimed at reducing knife crime, including searches on buses and outside nightclubs using metal detectors.

Among the offensive weapons seized by officers last year were baseball bats, stun guns, syringes, bottles, belts and a sock containing snooker balls.

The latest figures, which were released by Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill in a parliamentary answer, showed that 261 people were caught carrying a blade between April 2007 and March last year, compared with 171 in 2004/5. Another 462 other offensive weapons were recovered from individuals last year, bringing the weapons total to 723.

But the figures do represent a drop on the previous year, when 287 blades and 462 offensive weapons were involved.

Legislation passed by the Scottish Parliament in 2006 doubled the maximum jail sentence for carrying knives to four years. The Scottish Government said it remained committed to tackling the problem through "tough enforcement combined with work to educate and change attitudes".

Lothian Tory MSP Gavin Brown, who asked the parliamentary question, said: "We've a very serious problem with knife crime and it's time to take further action. Our position is that there ought to be a presumption in favour of a custodial sentence when someone is caught with a knife."

Solicitor General for Scotland, Frank Mulholland QC, yesterday said that tougher guidelines for police and prosecutors meant "those caught carrying knives are being taken off the streets more quickly and kept in custody for longer".

Mr Mulholland unveiled figures showing that more than 600 knife carriers in Scotland have been prosecuted on indictment rather than summary complaint, allowing a greater sentencing power for the judge.

Meanwhile, convictions have been recorded in more than three-quarters of concluded cases, with 78 per cent of these convictions resulting in imprisonment.

A police spokeswoman said: "Lothian and Borders Police are committed to tackling violent crime. The rise in the number of people caught in possession of a knife is testament to the proactive approach we are taking to make sure our communities can live without the fear of violent crime, with targeted initiatives as part of a number of ongoing campaigns.

"We believe the force has a key role to play in prevention through enforcement. The Edinburgh violence reduction programme and the Unight scheme are a vital part of this, both acting as deterrents and making carrying a knife socially unacceptable.

2 March 2009, Edinburgh Evening News