Weekly Competition #22
22 February 2019WINNERS ANNOUNCED:
busy_song and creative_sparrow
Well done to everyone who had a go at the competition during half term! Our winners this week showed exceptional reasoning skills. Busy_song suggested their own ideas and then came a conclusion based on their reasoning. The same can be said for creative_sparrow; they also showed a brilliant link between the solutions and explained how they were connected.
WEEKLY COMPETITION #22:
It's the end of the Issue! Lots of you have written and presented brilliant Final pieces about violent crime. There's one last competition to sum up your thoughts and have your say.
Which of the following suggestions do you think is the best way to help reduce violent crime? Vote in the poll below and remember to give good reasons in the comments section. If you have your own suggestion, select E and explain.
Winners will be announced on Friday. Good luck!
Comments (47)
I chose B more public places like youth and community centres.
I picked B because if there was more youth centres/communities kids in gangs would get to meet other children around their age and gain more friends. If they gain new friendships their friends could encourage them to quit carrying a knife and stop being in a gang.Also some kids in gangs are suffering by neglect; if they go to a community centre they'll be someone to listen and help overcome their problems.
Hi noble crab I disagree with you because they probably while meeting other kids they may form a even bigger gang which would not help the situation but increase it even more
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I chose E and A
I am choosing 2 options because I am using both of them to form a different opinion. I personally think more police should be on the street and if they see something occur they can discuss why the person has chosen to do this and if they refuse to answer then only should the police take serious action. Because after this the police will know why this person had done this and then they might try to make new laws which the person who did the crime can obey and shall become a peaceful man.
True
Thanks
What if there is crime there because mostly in very busy places there are all sorts of crime because the person who has done crime will know that there are loads of people there and start comitting crime but it is not just like that people can fight for their country like Nelson Mandela for their rights or it is the enviroment around them that affects them but most of the time it is mental health problems they dont forget what bad things people have said in the past.
I chose "better education about the impact of knife crime" because if you tell this generation they will pass it on to the next.
Ahh I see were you are coming from but it is not always like that the more you tell people about crime it is probably gonna make them wonder how it is like and think it is very cool but it is not people loose their lives just for people constantly waning to try crime they think it is cool being in gangs but no it is not acceptable.
I chose C
Education has the power to change the world, so why don't we, this will not only change the world for the better, it will make sure the future generation does not commit these horrible crimes.
i choose 'c' because if we all learn more about violent crime then we are more aware of the issue that is happening around us also knowing more about violent crime can keep us alert of what might happen if you see or hear about the situation.
I think that having more public places like youth centres will help reduce violent crime as teenagers will have other activities to resort to and do in their spare time instead of gang culture. It will also allow them to make friends within youth centres and find people who support them.
I think that people should help people in the poorest condition because they are more vulnerable to be targeted.If these people are a victim of violent crimes it might make perpetrator feel more confident in the immoral thing they are doing which might encourage them to continue.However if we protect the most vulnerable then we are doing that little act of kindness which could one day put an end to violent crimes which is something we all want to be apart of.
if we had more police in society it would be great because we would have more police to talk and if we can't find the police because we don't have enough we would be classed as staying quite which no one wants to do
I chose C. The reason for this decision is because if we develop more knowledge about knife crime, then we can come up more safe and reasonable ideas to decrease the amount of knife crime that is currently occurring.
If we contemplate option A: If there are more police on the streets then, yes it will decrease the amount of knife crime in the area but, it will put the police's lives at risk.
If we contemplate option B: This is infact a dangerous risk it will put the public in, because this will make the targets easier for the criminal to attack.
If we contemplate option C: If we spread knowledge about knife crime, it will aware the public about what danger they could put themselves in.
If we contemplate option D: If we protect the poorest society then this will help them to not be apart of gangs as we already know this will make the gangs more powerful and intentionally harm others.
Therefore i choose option C because we can spread awareness that knife crime is occurring in their local areas.
We should provide more help for those living in poverty because more often than not crimes such as drug dealing will occur in order to make lots of money quickly. This money can be used to provide for their families and to pay off debts. Drug dealing can be associated with violent crime because gangs will often resort to violence when a dealing does not go to plan, so someone trying to make a sustainable life for themself will get injured when they were technically innocent. Also if we provide help, people in poverty will not feel the need to steal in order to survive.
I think there should be more public places like youth and community centres. This is because putting more police on the streets, only increases violence and puts more peoples lives at risk because people think they can overrule the police. By having more youth groups and community centres, it educates people in a fun and exciting way rather than being stuck in a room learning in a boring way. by having youth groups, people can socialize and can relate to other people in their situations. :)
Gang members normally come from areas that are poorer than the rest than the country, so I believe that schools should be built in these areas, not only for children, but places for young adults, to make sure they do not be involved, and if they are, the effects of gang culture.
I believe that better education is needed because if we are more educated about violent crime, we can finally prevent it.
Option A ( more police on the streets ) i believe that this would not help because even though more police will be on the streets it will not prevent knife crime .
If we consider option B i believe that this is a terrible idea because criminals cant change ( in my opinion ) it is also
very dangerous for the public because it like a target.
Option D I think that if we protect the poorest society this will protect young wich go into a gang. Then this will prevent gangs developing.
Overall, I believe that that people should be aware about where they live and what dangers they can get into.
If we had a better education of violent crime it would be easier for us to see the state of matter that people go through. With this education WE could change society!
If there are more police on the street there are then more eyes seeing what happens on the streets of the United Kingdom. Also there is a higher chance of others to become an officer.
I think with more youth clubs and more friendly places for children/ teenagers to talk about their feelings and thoughts will reduce crime as more crime is popular within youths due to parents and carers.
I think that there should be more police on the street as then people wouldn't commit as much crimes as they couldn't because police would be on the lookout for crime.And even if someone would want to do something like that the police would see and immediately arrest them. Them and they can check people at the busy parts of London. If some was carrying a gun or weapon they would know.They can also talk to them, without them getting angry as they just killed someone.
I couldnt pick between b and c .
I picked b because if there are more youth clubs around their area then it will keep them off of the streets and then there would be no need to course more trouble.And that will help then mentally and physically.
C because if we can learn more about it and how horrible it is then you can maybe convince the children that it is a horrible disgusting thing to do. Also we can learn as maybe the victims or the people that learn about it we can help to prevent it from happening
I think there should be better education about knife crime as this will make people more aware about the consequences that a knife can cause I will write more
Really, we should teach people more about the impact of Knife Crime and show that Knife crime isn't a joke. We should also teach them NOT to join a gang and kill people.
Hi BNC!
I just want to pull up an assumption I'm seeing a lot.
Lots of comments and posts on the issue recognise that gang members may be perpetrators of kinfie crime, those that 'do the crime. However, there seems to be some assumption that the 'victim' is always someone random.
Don't forget that gang members might also be the victims of the crimes. Knife crime related to gangs is often between differetn gangs.
Yes I agree with you it is most of the time gang members because they plan were it will take place and what time it will happen but most of the time I think they want to destroy a certain person that has offended them or something to get revenge or get back on.
I picked A because I thought it'll be good for police to be around for safety.
I chose A
I chose A because if there are more police outside than in they should be outside because the gang members are outside there is a more percent chance of them they will comit a crime that is why I chose A
Therefore if th e police were stood out side for a long period of time then what would happen if there was an emergency somewhere else they wouldn't be able to make it and I could be extremely dangerous accident
One other think is that police officer has a certain time to finish work they can't stand there 24 hours a day because that shouldn't be fair
In my opinion i think that if police were stood there then hang members would find a different way to cause trouble
They could act like they are some friendly group when they might not a as nice as they act in front of the police
I chose the last option because I think these other options would be great however, there are flaws to all of them.
For example, educating people about violent crime, although it is a good idea, people (however old) may not have the maturity to understand these things.
Moreover, the youth and community centers may help some people; however, it is not guaranteed that people will attend the youth sessions as they cannot be forced to do so.
I do not agree with the 'more support for poorer people in society' as although these people do need help, this implies it is them committing the crimes. This could be extremely offensive as people may think of all poorer members of society being violent crime committers.
I chose C because if people really knew what crime does to families and groups, they would not do it.
I would like to join up C and E because I think that they are linked.
I would choose C because more education is very important and if we teach young people how to avoid getting involved, it could save their life.
I chose E because I think that we could also take children to visit people like Sephton to learn about his experiences in person, that way they will be able to have plenty of education
i chose E because i think alot can be done about stopping or reducing violent crime. We can do this by asking the government or a strong community to make a law about a ban of carrying weapons around with you. In America people wanted this to happen but this never did. Something must be done about it!!!
i chose c because if more children would be educated of crime they would know how to react to an attack and also know how to look out for suspicions of gangs.
I chose D because research shows that the worst violent crime in the UK is in London and the worst violent crime in London is in Southwark where the average wage was more than 3000 below the national average. This is alot considering that the wage in London is more than outside of London. Also, if someone can't make ends meet then who do they turn to? It is hard to get financial help because more and more people are needing it especially with the rise of council tax in some boroughs.
You raise a good point and ask a good question. I would be keen to read more about this if you wrote a post to explore the topic further.
I chose B because if there are more youth centres and community centres children or young adults who have been affected by any crime can talk about there experience and get further help. Another reason is that if anyone is thinking of joining a gang they can also get support from the youth centres. These are some of the reasons why they should open more youth and community centres.
I chose B because i think that if you have youth clubs then it would stop violent crime. I think that if you learn something at a young age then you would probably follow it your entire life. This is linked to violent crime because at youth clubs you would be in an environment, which would be safe, and engage you to be a better person. Also it would influence you to stay away from bad things
I chose B (more public places like community or youth centres) because - and we talked about this in the class BNC session - the youngsters could have a sense of belonging at the youth centre, and feel as if that's somewhere they belong and somewhere they can easily go to. Also, its a place where friends can meet together and simply have fun! You can even learn there, if you want to, and have a break from tiering school.
However, I also quite liked the idea of D (More help for the poorest people in society) because from my extended research, most people who go into gangs and then commit crimes come from poor backrounds. Also, this will help them overall, because then the poor will have support; the idea doesn't say in detail that it is JUST for those who commit crimes. (Sorry, I like helping!)
Also, the previous contest - are you taking the stars OFF people? Only I JUST managed to get a place I can keep on the leaderboard and I'm very dissappointed!
Only from the last competition. We want stars to be awarded across a range of entries (comments, posts, replies, questions to experts), rather than for multiple competition entries. Sorry about that and keep up the hard work!
Ok thank you.
Hi Olivia!
I just have one minor thing to say. It's fine if you don't approve of it. But...
Can you please read the second to last question on the FAQ's page? thanks. Much appreciated.
I choose c because I personally think that it would be better to educate younger people about the effect knife crime can have on their future , community and people who care about them like family members or friends. I don't think it would not be a good idea, to have more polices on streets because teenagers and adults are the age group most likely to commit these crimes. When they realise that there are more polices on the streets they will be forced to commit more crimes because they are scared that they will get caught and have to make a harsh decisions on whether they give up on criminal acts or just tun themselves in.
I think there should be a better education about the impact of knife crime as it will make people more aware that it could cause problems for the person that has been attacked as well as the person who used the knife. If there would a workshop about the conquences of using a weapon such as a knife it would a great and most nessercary way to reduce knife crime. Another reason it would reduce knife crime is because a better education about knife crime would make people realise that using or carrying a knife is not the right thing to do and would tell other people not to use a knife because of the reasons they had heard. The reason i didn't choose more police on our streets is because it would help but not as much because if a crime had and police just in to try and stop it getting worst it will become worst because if a police officer was to be hurt or even killed it will scare people who wants to be a police office and would mean there would less officers and it could make current police officers scared and make them want to stop being an officer. So this is the reason why i didn't want to choose more police on the streets and why i did choose better education about knife crime.
I choose B . Let me explain why. I wouldn’t choose A because if you have more police on the streets, then gangs might just go out in the streets and some will get caught but others may not which may make gangs try even harder and try their best to do it again. I wouldn’t choose C because if people educate gangs there is a very small chance that some people wouldn’t listen because they may be very attracted with their gang and would not want to leave it or they might be scared of leaving. I wouldn’t choose D because even if they support the poorest in society, people who live in rich society might even find the chance to create a hazard there and ruin lives. So I choose B because if you make more youth and community centres, then it’s like also something like C and D because they could meet other people which could make them not feel left out. This will make them feel happy and not be bad and they will understand that people won’t like them if they do something bad so they will stop and think about changing their behaviour. 😊
I chose E since I think we should use harsher punishments or better explanations in schools or TV so less people want to commit violent crimes since it will have a better impact or they don't won't worse consequences
In my opinion, they are all good reasons for stopping knife crimes however, for different situations the solution differentiate.
If you consider option A, (more police on the street) then it would be the best solution if there were gangs with knifes. I believe this because when there are many people involved in serious actions, it is vital that there are more police on the street to prevent the violence happening and I believe that it is the most amicable solution if there are many gangs lurking in the streets.
If you consider option B, (more public places like youth and community centres) this would be a beneficial solution to young people and children who do not have their family with them, who are being drawn into gangs, who are angry with another person and cannot resist stabbing someone for revenge and young people who have nothing to do. This will be a permanent solution since if young people and children go into youth clubs, then it will teach them self-defence lessons, how to control their anger and knife crime awareness courses which can improve who they are and will stop them from committing knife crime. Elderly people/professionals can be role models to the young people and teach them about knife crime and gangs in youth clubs and community centres-this will also be also good for the elderly since they will also have time to socialise with the people around them and will not be lonely. It is also important different aged people and people with a different walk-of-life mingle in the clubs to give, share and support each other to have a better future for everyone. We –as a community- have to stop young people from going to gangs since I believe that if they go into gangs, the gangs will deceive them with their nurturing emotions and after the person does knife crime to express their anger towards others when they realise the truth. Therefore, in my opinion, it is best to stop children/young people from gangs so they will not be deceived and not commit knife crime to a random person/gang member and harming other people’s lives.
If you consider option C, (better education for the impact of knife crime) then this would solution will also be suitable for young people however, mainly children because now, they are going to mature into young people and later adults so it is important to educate them about knife crime so they cannot go behind bars or destroy another life. In addition, it is important because at this young, tender age, they might not know what knife crime is and can be easily drawn into gangs, which increases the probability of them committing crime.
If you consider option D, (more support for the poorest in society) then this solution would be best for someone who is poor, who has no food, money or a shelter to keep them alive. Instead, they scare or are forced to use a knife on other people to get their money, possessions and any valuables that the person has to buy food and to survive. If we provide the poorest with support, such as food, water, clothes, medicine and shelter, then they will have no reason at all to commit knife crime and it is likely that they will not commit knife crime again.
In option E, there might have been some reasons that we have not considered yet:
• Knifes are only allowed to be purchased for people who are the age of 21 and over
• Parents must involve with the child since their birth to become a responsible adult with love and teach them as a role model
In addition, another reason we have not considered yet (knifes are only allowed to be purchased for people who are the age of 21) since the children/young people could easily purchase a knife or a sharp instrument to commit knife crime so it is best that children or young people cannot purchase knifes unless they are 21 or over. In addition, if someone (such as a chef) is carrying a knife, it must be in a safe, closed and secured box with a lock.
My final reason (Parents must involve with the child since their birth to become a responsible adult with love and teach them as a role model) is a good solution since from birth, the parent has to be a role model and educate them about knife crime and its effects so the child will not do it. Moreover, the parent has to show love and attention to the child because otherwise, they will be drawn into which try to act as role models and parently figures gangs to deceive them at the end. However, this is not the case for if the parents died, are bad addictions (such as drug, alcohol, gambling etc.) or are in imprisonment so, the government has to step in seriously to give support the same as real parents’ support to the young person/child.
Considering all of these options –in my opinion- I believe that option C (better education for the impact of knife crime) is the best solution. I believe this since to stop young people/children from going to gangs in the first place; we can educate them so they will not go into jail or that at the same time they will have not wrecked another person’s life. This could be an effective solution since they will not even attempt going into gangs meaning that in this age group there will be less crime.
I chose C because if we have better education on violent crime people are aware of it which means people are less likely to commit crime.
B) More Public Places like youth clubs and community centers
I chose B, owing to the fact that if we open community centers back up fewer gangs would start forming. Furthermore, if there are fewer gangs there would be fewer turf wars- which would lead to less violent crime.
Also, community centers can help with all sorts of things. Including: mental problems, parenting classes and even training for getting a job ( which I think is the most important ). I found this out in a newspaper article.
training to get a job is important to learn at a community center because, the youngest age to get employed for a job is fourteen, so if teenagers get a job they might want to focus on that and not violent crime.
However, some teenagers may not come to community centers because they're not 'cool'. To add some people may not volunteer to work at community centers, as they don't get paid for it.
Overall, I believe that community centers and youth clubs are the most effective way of stopping violent crime. For the fact that fewer gangs would start forming.
I chose A
I chose A because if there are more police out on the streets then things like this wouldn’t happen as often as they do now ( murdering, kidnapping, knife crime, etc). Then gang members wouldn’t get away with things but polices are inside than outside as they should be!!!!!
I choose A, B and see because:
Option A- If there are more police on the streets, that can increase stop and search which means that gang members who are carrying knife on streets can be stopped and search which makes people in our community safe from violent crime performed by gangs
Option B- I think B because young children are in gangs and it can cause a great impact on their lives. Maybe when those children grow older they can begin to get really violent. I also chose this option because if we open more youth clubs,it makes children safe from gangs and they don't have to be tricked to going into gangs.
Option C- I chose this option because if we can make the gang members realize what they are doing is wrong we can tell them that it will have a great impact in the future of their lives. To conclude, if we educate gang members what the large impact is of knife crime, they can realize what they are doing is wrong and they will probably change their ways.
I chose B because if we have more youth clubs and stuff young people will be interested in their clubs and will get lost and not be able to remember anything about knife crimes,knives,and crime in general.
We think that more police on the street would have a positive impact on violent crime. More police officers would put people off committing crime. They would also be more present in communities to get to know people. That would mean that people would be more likely to co-operate with them to prevent crime. They would get to know areas better, so that they could see where there were risks of violent crime and take action.
Great reasoning!
I chose to have better education on the impact of knife crime. This is because if people are educated on the effects of knife crime then they will see how upsetting it can be for the family of the victim. Also, more people would understand how serious it is to stab someone.
In addition, the first option may not work as some criminals are not intimidated by the police. Also, if there are more police on the street it will not be helpful if the crimes are committed inside houses.
Also, if there are more places for young people then they do not necessarily have to use them.
Therefore, I believe option C is the best option.
It was difficult to choose just one option because I believe both B and D are just as important in reducing violent crime as a way to prevent it from happening. I think if we had more B and D, there would be less need for A and C.
I feel there should be more youth clubs and community centres to help young kids to develop their own interest outside of schools. Kids can form good friendship groups with similar interests, it will keep them occupied, be a lot more happier and have a healthier attitude to life. Within a nurturing environment, kids become more confident and thrive in a community setting so kids wouldn’t feel the need to be part of any gang just to have a sense of belonging. Exposure to positive peer groups and good senior role models to look up to, allows them to see for themselves the possibilities to achieve, and will discourage them from going down the wrong path.
Youth clubs allow kids to feel free to be themselves. It could also be a space to get rid of any pent-up energy in a relaxed environment, which unlike schools, can be very stifling for some. In class, boredom sets in, so they become disengaged and disruptive followed by expulsion. Nowhere to go, they end up on to the streets and then lured into joining a gang. So if you direct kids energy and open up alternative space at a much earlier age, where they can flourish and not be disheartened, it will help them to reduce their risk of getting into trouble.
However, I also feel strongly that more support should be given to the poorest in society too. If a child is brought up in household that is struggling, then the wellbeing of that family could have a negative impact to a child’s upbringing. It could affect the child’s education and their chances of having a happy childhood. If the child starts a life with a lower educational standards and are emotionally unhappy then it becomes an uphill struggle to improve their outlook later in life. Having to deal with an unfortunate set of circumstances just increases their chances of falling into trouble.
Both youth clubs and support for the poorest is just as important to society, because youth clubs give deprived kids more options and possibilities. Having said that, it’s also important to help those that are in need. At the end of the day, all kids need to go home to a place where they feel safe and happy. Parents should be the ones to take on the role of nurturing, supporting and guiding their kids. If we support the poorest in society, then the parent’s wellbeing will improve which will have a positive effect on the child’s upbringing. When parents are not too stressed or angry, kids don’t feel angry too or compel to run away to join a gang.
Overall, if I really had to decide on one, I would have to choose D - to help and support with the poorest in society. There is research to show that poverty is linked to violent crime and since poverty or lack of support affects a much bigger proportion of people in society, young and old, and could happen to anybody at any time in their lives, therefore if there was an increase in poverty, there would be a sharp rise in violent crime. If you are disadvantaged in life, you have greater pressures and more negative issues to deal with on a daily basis, which can easily tip them over the edge towards any kinds of crime. So therefore, I think it’s crucial to give people the help and support at the time that they need it most, before it becomes a wider problem and thereby lowering the risk of violent crimes.
If I had to choose, I would choose D because the effects that poverty has on crime can be explained in multiple ways. For starters, there is a higher rate of untreated mental illness that is in populations struggling with poverty compared to wealthier populations. Now most people who struggle with a mental illness will never commit a crime, but there are some types of severe mental illness which increase the risk of an individual committing a crime.
Untreated severe mental illnesses are particularly significant when looking at links between poverty and homicide. On the other end of the spectrum, those who are mentally ill are also victimized by violent crime at much higher levels than the general population.
Yet despite these facts, the number of beds at mental health hospitals and treatment facilities are lower in the United States today than they were in 1850.
But a mental illness isn’t the only link that there is between poverty and crime. Being in poverty often leads to high levels of stress. An overwhelming desire to meet certain basic needs becomes the highest priority. Over time, if those needs cannot be met, then some individuals will commit robberies, burglaries, and other forms of them. It can also lead to violent acts, though in the mind of the perpetrator, the actions are seen as a method of self-defense.
Poverty also creates fewer opportunities, some of which co-exist with mental illness and a lack of being able to meet basic needs. If an individual is struggling with an untreated mental illness, then it is difficult for them to hold down an employment opportunity. Without a job, it is difficult to find money to meet basic needs.
A lack of resources also creates inferior educational opportunities for households in poverty, some actual and some admittedly perceived. Yet the perception of a lack of education is enough for individuals in poverty to create self-fulfilling prophecies regarding their future. Because they believe there aren’t good quality schools out there, then there aren’t good quality jobs out there. People feel the need to fight for themselves.
Good research. Don't forget to link to where you find your information:
https://vittana.org/how-poverty-influences-crime-rates