Politicians can't afford to think long term

Earlier this year, the Home Office mantra when confronted with concerns about knife crime was that while every death was a tragedy, violent crime had "fallen steadily".

As the number of deaths have increased, to maintain this attitude would appear to be insensitive.

Over the past weekend alone, two men were stabbed and at least another six required hospital treatment.

In 24 hours last week, four people were stabbed to death in London, including a 19-year-old man who became the 20th teenager to die in a violent attack in London this year.

The number of teenagers murdered in the capital in the first six months of the year was 17 - exactly the same number as last year.

The latest survey revealed that there were 169,000 violent incidents involving knives in 2005-06, around half the 340,000 in 1995, although the number has been increasing since 2003–4. But under-16s are not included in the survey, and the government is reviewing that potentially significant anomaly.

Other figures suggest knife crime may be on the increase. Department of Health statistics show that almost 14,000 people were treated in hospital for stab wounds last year (446 of them aged 14 and under) - an increase of nearly 20% in five years.

Since Labour came to power in 1997, the number of people prosecuted for possessing knives has increased by 72%, to 7,699 in 2006.

David Wilson, a criminologist from Birmingham City University believes that there are two reasons for youths carrying knives. One is that it makes them "feel grown up and manly" but the other is that they are "scared".

Wilson says young people have reacted to a world in which adults demonise young people outside their own families – "they are all chavs and hoodies" – and no longer trust adults to protect them.

He also suggests that the solutions are to think longer term - how to deal with a generation who no longer trust adults?

Also adding "Politicians can never afford to think longer term," he said. "They want to be seen taking action, and taking action quickly."