Cases of knife crime are rising in England, and the public is worried.

Young people, mainly men, arming themselves with knives has become a trend in Britain. A recent report from the Metropolitan Police provides data asserting that in this year alone, knife crimes in Britain has increased by 24 percent. Specifically, in London from March 2016 to March 2017, 2,028 people were injured victims under 25 years of age due to knife crime, the highest in five years.

Many young individuals now resort to knives as a means of protection, being that gun laws are incredibly strict in Britain; it almost impossible for individuals to obtain a gun. It has become first instinct for young adults to grab their knife before leaving the house, “when you’re leaving the house, you don’t even think about it. You grab your keys, wallet, phone and knife,” said Ali, a 19-year-old student. He also suggested that a knife was needed for his own survival, “I’m not a criminal, I’ve never hurt anyone,” he said, “but I do what it takes to survive.”

To put the high knife crime rate in better perspective, a new story is released in England every day regarding a young man or young men stabbed by a knife as they wait for the bus or after being chased down. Duncan Bew, clinical lead for trauma and emergency surgery at King’s College hospital, south-east London, states their hospital receives more than three stab wound patients a day.

Knife crime in London has led to an increase of property investors investigating neighbourhood crime rates before purchase, says Lucy Holbert, a real estate agent in London. Nonetheless, police say only a quarter of knife crime in London is associated with gang activity. Suggesting that violent knife crime can occur anywhere in England regardless of previous crime history.

Just this past Wednesday, Police in London began urging schools to install metal detectors to prevent children from bringing knives to school and involving themselves in violence. However, this approach may still prove ineffective in lowering England’s crime rate. Reports show that much of the knife violence is occurring outside school grounds, leaving these school metal detectors with little to no benefit. Leroy Logan, a former Scotland Yard superintendent thinks similarly: “How many stabbings are there in schools? Not that may. All they do is stash the weapons outside. You need intelligence to find the weapons. knife arches displace the problem – they are cosmic,” he said.

British citizens under the age of 25 carry knives with them at all times for protection, but this has resulted in an increase in crime. The solution lies right in front of our very eyes. People feel the need to take matters into their own hands and protect themselves when their protectors are not doing so. This knife violence solution expands beyond the borders of England. A lack of trust in police officers is the root of many problems around the world, including the issue at hand.

It must be understood by the public that negative depictions of law enforcement officers on social media, the internet, or TV news are not accurate representations of all law enforcement officers. A story of a police officer doing right would never make news headlines. On the other hand, law enforcement officers must learn to be cautious of their actions and aware that civilians are always ready to record an officer’s wrong-doings. The increased awareness of police brutality as a result of social media and the technology era has geared minorities and young people to fear the police. A mutual respect must be found.