PA Bill Number: HR541
Title: Recognizing the month of October 2024 as "Domestic Violence Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania.
Description: A Resolution recognizing the month of October 2024 as "Domestic Violence Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania.
Last Action:
Last Action Date: Sep 27, 2024
England: Gun and knife crime rises must be reversed :: 04/12/2017
The startling 42 per cent rise in gun crime and the similarly concerning 24 per cent increase in knife offences revealed in annual statistics published today by Scotland Yard provide further troubling evidence of two growing problems in this city that have been highlighted within the past week by the deadly shooting of 16-year-old Karim Samms in Woolwich on Friday and the fatal stabbing of two men, one 19 and the other 20, within 90 minutes yesterday afternoon.
The challenge posed by knife crime, which the Met today blames partly on “complex social problems” beyond its control, is well known and regrettably appears to be beyond the police’s ability to defeat on their own, despite the many worthwhile initiatives, ranging from weapons sweeps to the use of targeted stop and search, that it deploys in its attempts to tackle the danger. In this area, education and better parenting, coupled with greater responsibility from the minority of retailers who still sell knives to juveniles, offer the best solutions as much as further police action.
The situation with gun crime is different. The problems here include weaknesses in the licensing system which allow weapons held legitimately by firearms dealers to end up in the hands of criminals, as well as the continued flow of illegal guns into this country from the Balkans and elsewhere. On licensing, the Government should help by reforming the rules to make it easier for police to tackle lax dealers. Increased vigilance by customs officials is needed too, coupled with law enforcement initiatives such as the recent campaign by the National Crime Agency, which led to more than 800 illegal firearms being recovered in four weeks.
Such efforts are needed not only to protect the public from ordinary gun crime, but also to defend this city from terrorism. One reason why London has so far escaped the carnage of a Paris-style attack is the low availability of firearms. That difficulty of accessing weapons remains, despite today’s worrying gun crime increase. But as new Met Commissioner Cressida Dick completes her first week in the job she will know that reversing today’s rise is vital for Londoners’ safety.
