PM urges more knife prosecutions


Mr Brown said carrying knives was 'unacceptable'


Anyone of 16 or over who carries a knife should be taken to court the prime minister has told prosecutors.
In a breakfast meeting with police and legal chiefs Gordon Brown discussed his plans to extend the "presumption of prosecution" in knife cases.
Current police guidance in England and Wales is to prosecute adults caught with a knife but caution under-18s.
On Monday a 15-year-old girl who was stabbed became the 16th teenager to be fatally attacked in London this year.
Mr Brown met representatives from the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) and the director of public prosecutions at an early morning meeting in Downing Street on Thursday.
'Feel safe'
MPs are also set to hold a special 90-minute Commons debate on the issue.
Currently the "presumption of prosecution" only applies to those aged over 18 who carry a knife without good reason. Younger teenagers caught with a knife are often not charged or are cautioned.
As provided for under the Crime and Disorder Act police use their discretion over whether to caution a 16 or 17-year-old by considering aggravating factors such as whether the person is under the influence of drink or drugs.
But now anyone over 16 can expect to be prosecuted on their first offence.
It has become fashionable [to carry a knife]. What we want people to understand is they put themselves at risk carrying these sorts of weapons


Sir Ken Macdonald QC
Director of Public Prosecutions


Speaking after the meeting Mr Brown said: "What we've got to do is make sure if a young person is carrying a knife there is a presumption that they will end up in court there is a presumption they will be prosecuted and even for children under 16 we will take the toughest of actions.
"We want people to understand particularly parents that when children and young people are carrying knives they are putting other children and young people at risk.
"The more people realise that it is unacceptable and it is wrong to carry a knife the safer our communities will be."
Director of Public Prosecutions Sir Ken Macdonald QC told Mr Brown at the meeting: "When people come to us their expectation is a prosecution will follow.


"What we are proposing is that if people are carrying a knife and are prosecuted for other offences they will be prosecuted for the knife too.
"We have set out some further guidance that the public interest is in favour of prosecution.
"It has become fashionable [to carry a knife]. What we want people to understand is they put themselves at risk carrying these sorts of weapons."
Also present were Home Secretary Jacqui Smith Justice Secretary Jack Straw and Attorney-General Baroness Scotland.
'Use discretion'
Acpo president Ken Jones said officers would still use discretion but no young person should carry a knife.


He said: "But the point at which they now would consider this individual has no previous conviction there are no aggravating factors that he or she might be subject to a caution we are now saying no that is now removed.
"We are not out to criminalise people who have a good reason for being in possession of a knife but frankly what good reasons would a youngster have for even carrying a penknife?" The change in policy on cautions is part of a package of measures announced by the Home Office.

Police in areas suffering from knife crime will receive £5 million to help fund greater use of searches courses for young people caught with knives and home visits and letters to parents.
A new scheme in which hospital A&E units in so-called "hotspot areas" would pass information about injuries caused by weapons to the police is also being discussed.

Metropolitan Police figures show that the number of victims of knife crime have gone down. In the year to March 2008 there were 10220 such crimes compared with 12124 for the previous year - a reduction of 15.7%.
But the number of 11 to 18-year-olds attacked with knives between April and July 2006 rose by 4.5% compared with the same period in 2005. Last year 27 teenagers in London met violent deaths compared with 17 in 2006 and 15 in 2005. But David Chaytor of the youth charity Rainer told the BBC: "If the answer was to lock up more young people then we would have solved the problem years ago - we have already tripled the number of young people prosecuted for carrying a knife."