Monday 4 May 2009

Knife Crime on the rise



Police question man over stabbing of break-in teenager

Detectives arrest 22-year-old on suspicion of murder after death of 17-year-old in Nottingham
Martin Wainwright and Haroon Siddique
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 15 March 2009 16.04 GMT
Article history
Police were today questioning a man arrested on suspicion of murder after a teenager broke into a house and was stabbed to death.
Detectives were given extra time to hold the 22-year-old after another man in his twenties and four youths in their teens were released following two days of questioning.
The youth, who was named today as Tyler Peter Juett, 17, from Aspley in Nottingham, was found dying at the semi-detached house on the Heathfield estate in the city's Old Basford area on Friday afternoon. The exact circumstances of what happened remained unclear today but it is understood that he was confronted by a man at the property.
A postmortem examination carried out yesterday showed Juett died from a stab wound.
A broken garden fence and smashed patio door were still visible at the house today, which remained cordoned off as forensic officers conducted a search. Neighbours described the couple who live at the house as "good people", originally from Jamaica.
Nottinghamshire police said attempted burglary was a line of inquiry, although the incident happened in the early afternoon when the house was occupied. Emergency services responded to a call from the house at 2pm on Friday and Juett was taken to the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham, where he died soon afterwards. Neighbours also dialled 999 to report a disturbance, as someone inside confronted Juett.
A police spokesman said: "In an effort to establish the circumstances which led up to this death, we would ask anyone who was in and around Heathfield Road at 2pm on March 13 to cast their minds back to see if they can remember anyone acting suspiciously."
Police patrols were stepped up in Old Basford as detectives continued house-to-house inquiries. Officers were also planning to examine CCTV footage from the area. The estate has seen several burglaries recently and the couple from the house helped out a neighbour who was targeted. Fazal Khan, 33, a computer technician, said: "They are good people who live in that house. They are very cooperative and nice.
"When somebody broke into our house the lady came round because we were not at home and called the police, and the police called my wife and she came home.
"This time, we heard there had been a burglary and when we came down here the police had blocked it off all the way. My wife was here and the police told her that the house had been burgled."
Khan said the area was "70-80% nice" but had recently been plagued by vandalism, with garden shrubs and fences set on fire and youths breaking windows.
Nottingham residents are at the most risk of burglary in the UK, with levels 63% above the national average, according to a table produced by Endsleigh Insurance last year. In 2006, the city was named the crime capital of the UK by the thinktank Reform, although officials in Nottingham claimed the study was flawed.






Crime figures show rise in theft as recession bites
Overall crime down 4% but 'snatch and steal' robberies spike by 25%

Alan Travis, home affairs editor
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 23 April 2009 11.00 BST
Article history

An unexpected 25% surge in personal thefts and a 4% increase in burglaries are recorded in the first set of official quarterly crime figures since the economic recession took hold.
A worrying rise in what the Home Office calls "stealth and snatch thefts" is accompanied by a 5% increase in robberies at knifepoint, according to the police-recorded crime figures published today comparing October to December 2008 with the same period in 2007.
The figures show a 16% drop in gun crime and a fall in the number of people stabbed to death from 59 to 52 over the same period. They record that the increase in robberies at knifepoint occurred within the context of an overall 2% fall in the total number of street robberies.
Overall there was a 4% drop in offences recorded by the police. The British Crime Survey, which is based on a survey of 40,000 people's experience of crime, shows that the volume of all types of offences , including violent crime, remained broadly stable during 2008.
The figures contain the first confirmation of Home Office projections that the economic recession and rise in unemployment are likely to be accompanied by an increase in some types of crime, particularly involving theft of property and burglary. The 4% rise in burglary, including domestic burglary, last winter comes on top of a similar increase between July and September and marks the end of a sustained 55% decline in burglary since the mid-1990s.
Home Office statisticians said the 25% rise in personal thefts reported by the British Crime Survey was statistically significant but it was too early to say whether it indicated a change in recent trends. They pointed out that it was not reflected in the police crime figures or other BCS categories of personal acquisitive crime.
The Association of Police Authorities described it as a "worrying development" that would be closely monitored so that any correlation with the economic downturn could be established and action taken.
The Home Office minister Vernon Coaker said: "We know that we are facing some new challenges now and are focusing our experience and knowledge to tackle these head-on." He said ministers were already working with police, charities, DIY stores and insurers to target repeat burglars and help people secure their homes.
The rise in personal thefts was accompanied by falling rates of violent crime, robbery, sexual offences and gun crime, Coaker said.






IF THERE’S A KNIFE IN YOUR CHILD’S HANDS, IT’S IN YOUR HANDS TO STOP IT.

Kids face all sorts of pressures and it may be that your child is in contact with friends who carry knives. The chances are your child has talked about knives with friends or heard a story about the kid who carried a knife. Whilst many young people do not carry knives – it is still a conversation worth having with your child.
You have a role to play in helping your child make the right choice on this subject. If there is one person your child will listen to, it’s you. They respect you more than you think.
These pages hold practical advice for parents/ carers on what they can do to reduce the likelihood of a child carrying a knife. We aim to give some pointers on what to look for, how to raise the subject and who to contact if you need more help.
As part of this campaign we have talked to a lot of young people about knives. We have also interviewed some young people who felt they needed to carry knives but then decided against it. To give you an idea of some of the issues young people face we have written up some true case studies. Below Ian, 16, talks of his hopes for the future and how the love and respect he has for his mum has guided him.

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