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Theresa May dismissed claims that an increase in police numbers will solve the problem of knife crime – and Good Morning Britain weatherman and TV host Alex Beresford has something to say about it.
Speaking following a flood of reported knife crime, the prime minister said there was "no direct correlation between certain crimes and police numbers".
In response, chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, John Apter, argued for more prisons to be built. He told GMB viewers: “Two thirds of people who are convicted don’t face prison.”
My argument – build more prisons. We need to have a consequence.
“Prison doesn’t work though!” Beresford called off camera, and he then launches into a passionate speech about the importance that the right environment has on preventing young people from getting into knife crime.
Listen. I’ve grown up in some of these communities that you guys are talking about and prison is not a deterrent.
Some of these boys, they don’t fear prison. If you don’t change the environment, you won’t change anything and that’s the key thing.
If you don’t change the environment – this has been happening for years. OK? Years. And it’s not always in the media but it won’t change.
It’s going to take several things to come together – yes, policing is one thing – but at the end of the day, if you don’t change these boys’ environments… all of you guys on that side, you’ve benefited from the environment you’ve grown up in. OK?
You’ve benefited from being in this work environment. I’ve benefited from it.
But these boys – not all of them get to benefit from the environment.
If we don’t show them something else, you won’t change it.
Bereford wasn’t the only one to provide a nuanced point about knife crime in England. Musician Akala spoke on Channel 4 News about the disproportionate way the black youth is targeted in discussions about knife crime.
He revealed that the "social indicators of that violence [gang crime] have remained identical for almost 200 years - poverty, domestic abuse, lack of education - so expulsion from school".
Akala added:
Racial explanations are sort of a way out for the powers that be. It’s revealing how what happens in London is ‘black-on-black’ crime, when it happens in Glasgow, race is not important.
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