Another Youth Murdered!

Police are searching for a group of youths seen running away from the scene where a 17-year-old boy was stabbed to death.

Officers were called by ambulance staff to Chesterford Road, in Newham, east London, at 2339 BST on Thursday.

The victim has been named as Mohammed Ahmed from east London.

A post-mortem examination confirmed he died of a stab wound. Two 16-year-old youths arrested over the death have been released without charge.

This death brings the total of teenage murders in London this year to the grim total of 19!

The sad thing for me on a personal level, is that I was in that very road at that very spot an hour or so before hand dropping off a court summons to someone not connected with the stabbings.

The only two words in my mind at the moment regarding this incident are:

"If only....."

What on earth is happening with this country and all these teenage murders? Although this one is not believed to be gang related, the number of gang related incidents is constantly on the rise.

Kids in deprived areas need to be encouraged to steer clear of gangs and the carrying of weapons but the problem is, how?

Schools have lost the discipline they used to have, the yoghurt knitters have made it plain and simple that if a teacher so much as raises a voice against a trouble making child they either face the sack or they get sued by their parents who some seem to think that the school is responsible for the up-bringing of their child.

The police have lost the respect of the younger generation. I am more likely to get a two fingered salute by a ten year old when I drive onto an estate in my area car than them coming over to see what's in it.

I used to be terrified of my local home beat bobby! He was a giant of a man and seemed to have a sixth sense for smelling trouble. His mere presence was enough to stop a crime from occurring.

So maybe that's where the problem lies. We don't see police officers on the streets like we used to do any more. Thanks to the wonderful idea of expanding areas so big it takes most the shift to get round them and the closure of village police stations, constables are not able to get "out there" and mix in. Thank God the force mergers never took place!

Areas of towns shouldn't be no go areas after dark. One particular town I know has a problem with large numbers of kids gathering outside an off licence after dark. They would be loud and smash windows, fight and damage cars because there was no police presence.

Because of the lack of officers due to holidays, sickness, paper work, red tape, court and the spreading thin of officers across the constabulary, the area becomes over run with the youth culture that appears to be spiralling out of control.

Kids are "tooling up" with everything from screwdrivers to butchers knives to protect themselves from being robbed by other youths. They are forming gangs to "feel safe" and to protect their image from where they come from. I have seen a sudden increase in postcode gangs named after the postcode they come from. Woe be tied anyone from a rival gang found in their area!

The youth are not fearful of the law anymore. Very little happens to them if they are arrested in possession of a blade or other weapon. The yoghurt knitters need to stop interfering with the course of the law. Stop trying to protect the offender and make excuses for them! Start making the offender realise their own mistakes and if that means putting them in a 8x8 cell for a year or so then so be it, giving them iPods, CD tokens and holidays or trips away are not encouraging ways to stop them offending and stop using the Human Rights Act as a way to protect the criminals!

Invest in the schools more, especially for the deprived areas. Give the teachers back their discipline powers and perhaps we should start seeing some respect in the youth.

However, the problem could lie somewhere more simple than all of the above:

Respect starts at home!

If a child does not learn that it is wrong to hurt, steal or disrespect others whilst they are still impressionable from their *parent, parents, guardian, older siblings (and rather than them dumping them onto the streets for someone else to look after) we will end up with a never ending cycle.

It reminds me of the lyrics of the Elvis Presley song, "In the ghetto"

*Delete where applicable