In April 2009 a virus invaded the British Isles. After a slow start, the virus spread rapidly and by July 2009, the cases of infected people had reached 110,000. During that time the British Government spent millions producing a 12-page leaflet on how to protect yourself and your loved ones against swine flu. You could obtain this information in 15 languages, on audio tape, in extra large print, and Braille. Every household in the UK was mailed one of these condescending and patronising documents.
Condescending? Yes! Why? Because the pearls of wisdom the British taxpayer paid for were:
CATCH IT, BIN IT, KILL IT.
– Always carry tissues
– Use clean tissues to cover your mouth and nose when you cough and sneeze.
– Bin the tissues after one use.
– Wash your hands with soap and hot water.
At the same time that the Government were spending millions telling us to blow our noses and wash our hands because of a ‘public health crisis’, there was another epidemic raging through our towns and cities; violent weapons-related crime, and nothing was being done. In the ten years up to 2009, violent crime had been allowed to grow by 77pc, this according to various statistics showed the UK was higher than any other country in Europe and accounted for more than 1.15 million of the total crimes in the UK each year.
I wrote this piece in 2009:
HAVE YOU EVER WANTED TO SCREAM “I TOLD YOU SO”?
Having to live in a country that is not only under the ever present threat of terrorism, but also has more than 70 reported knife attacks every day and we all could be forgiven for feeling a little under threat. Whether the Government likes to admit it or not, the UK is in the grip of a knife crime epidemic, and rightly or wrongly the public’s perception is that such crime is out of control. Please let me pose a very simple question…
… Where is the 12-page government leaflet that tells you how to protect yourself and your loved ones against an epidemic of weapons related street crime that has been allowed to grow into a colossal malignant cancer that has already destroyed thousands of lives?
As a nation we should be mortally embarrassed that in the 21st century the British people have allowed the horrendous decline in values and discipline to ravage our streets and terrorise our citizens.
Although, it is now on record that this government has poured £12m of taxpayer money into fighting knife crime, this has been wasted. It hasn’t worked and I always said it wouldn’t, and those that know me will verify that I have been very vocal about so called Government strategies being a complete waste of time and public money.
When are the people that decide on these policies going to recognise that the only ones who really understand knife crime on the streets of Britain are the people that commit it. Furthermore, the vast majority of these people have no interest whatsoever in what the law says about knives and even less regarding what spews out of 10 Downing Street. What’s more, the mainstream of those who would like to get rid of their knives are unlikely to do so because they believe being unarmed in a war zone is stupid.
I have said over and over and over again, and I make no apologies for sounding like a broken record, but it’s a no-brainer … If you want to cut knife crime – educate the victims. To date I have not met one person that disagrees with that statement. It’s the victims who pick up the tab for the government getting it wrong; it’s the victims that suffer in silence whilst huge amounts of government resources are being poured into futile initiatives that just don’t work. We are all victims of violent crime and as such every citizen in this country should have access to information that helps them to understand the threat and gives them options on what they can do to avoid and survive it.
The front cover of the swine flu leaflet displays a clear message: “This leaflet contains important information to help you and your family”. Where is my Government booklet containing “important information to help me and my family stay safe from violent street crime and knife attacks?” Answer: there isn’t one! The swine flu leaflet cost the British taxpayer £9m. But, they can have this information for FREE, with my compliments …
ACCEPT IT, AVOID IT, SURVIVE IT
– Complacency will steal your life. Accept the fact that weapons related street crime is now part of your life and will never go away.
– Do everything in your power to stay away from the people and avoid the places that might endanger you.
– Learning how to recognise the danger signs that always precede an attack will help you to survive and remember survival is all you can ever hope for.
It’s time to stop talking and take action. If the government and the police won’t do it, I’ll do it and I’m willing to work together with like-minded people and organizations that believe my words to have merit, to generate the funding and get on with the job. While the Government wastes more and more taxpayer’s money people are dying and lives are being destroyed for lack of information. I throw down the gauntlet. Who will pick it up and work with me?
Where are we nine years on?
Of course nobody took up the gauntlet. I was apparently paranoid and a scaremonger. But low and behold, nine years after my little rant, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick, has thrown her weight behind the idea that knife crime should be treated as a ‘public health crisis’ rather than purely a crime. I seem to recall saying that nine years ago! Sounds a bit like swine flu to me. Have you ever wanted to scream, “I told you so”? My gauntlet is still out there.
(For the Met Police on knife crime visit https://www.met.police.uk/crime-prevention/stop-knife-crime/.)
For Met Deputy Commissioner Sir Craig Mackey after new year 2017-18 murders in London, visit http://news.met.police.uk/news/sir-craig-mackey-calls-for-londoners-to-help-the-met-tackle-knife-crime-288037.
