Until we address the insane and growing levels of inequality, living standards will only get worse. Poverty, crime and violence will continue to rise and incidents like this will become more common.
I regularly use a Stanley knife more or less everyday for work. I don't take it to the shops with me or to pub etc it stays in the van.
5,798 were sentenced to custody in 2023 for carrying a knife or other offensive weapon. A further 9,753 were given a fine, community or suspended sentence. While you might argue that they should have an immediate prison sentence, there is an argument that for a first offence it is better to keep the offender in the community rather than imprison them and leave them in a position where they are forced to commit more crime to survive on release. Since 2013, just under 70,000 have been given a prison sentence for carrying a knife. So, your guess would be wrong.
If you were working as a trainee or cover chef in London and couldn't afford a car (under 50% own a car there), you would travel to work carrying your knives on the bus or underground. People do this every day.
Genuine question as I've never been a chef, but is there a reason they would need to take knives into work and back home every day? Wouldn't you just leave them at your place of work? I accept there will be people who do need to carry knives around for work btw, just not quite sure on this particular point
The figures you quote are very misleading and don't go into detail weather the knife carrying is the only offence. The justice system in this country is a joke and has been for a long time.
I once went to oakwell straight from work and didn't realise I had a stanley knife in my pocket until the day after
I don't think he said 24/7 tbf. He just said to and from work. Professional knives can be very expensive. What if it's not a permanent place of work? What if they work in multiple places in a day? Maybe they're covering different jobs as a gig? Lots of very explainable reasons why a chef might need to carry their tools with them. Does a joiner leave £1000s of pounds of their gear on site after a days graft, or do they load them in the van and take them home?
Yep, agree. You do see that happen from time to time, but it's not like guns. Pretty much anyone can get hold of a knife and they're a fraction of the cost. Be like whack a mole. But I agree, they should do what they can to get them out of people's hands.
I work on sites alot mostly joiners will have a room with a lock on to keep there gear in or a site box, failing that in the van. I doubt many Chefs take there knives home with them or out after work. Okay they could be the odd time when someone forgets but more then likely Chefs aren't walking round in public carrying knifes because they use them at work.
The vast majority will actually be young adults/teenagers who feel that they need to to save face if everyone else is, or are scared of others and want to protect themselves (even though it’s far more likely to go for them if they do have one).
So you accept there are genuine, totally innocent and explainable reasons why a person might have a knife. Which makes it impossible to justify automatically banging anyone up who is found in possession of one. There has to be some provable intent.