A NEW five-year jail sentence for possession of a knife is to be introduced and the sale of some bladed weapons, such as Samurai swords, is to be banned in a major effort by the Garda and Government to tackle increasing knife crime.
As well as the legislative changes, the Garda has launched a major new awareness campaign aimed at discouraging young people from carrying knives.
A series of Garda roadshows will visit schools and an advertisement campaign will run nationwide. Gardaí have also built a presence on social networking websites such as Bebo, Facebook and twitter.
One of the key goals of the knife crime campaign is to make teenagers aware that those who carry knives are much more likely to be stabbed themselves.
Speaking at the launch of the How Big Do You Feel? campaign yesterday, Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy said while knife murders dropped significantly last year and Ireland did not have the same knife culture as Britain, there was still cause for concern here. “We’ve had a number of high-profile incidents in recent years which give rise to concern, and there is evidence of increased knife carrying and use in crimes such as assault,” he said.
While the number of knife killings dropped to 15 last year from 37 in 2007, detections of possession of knives have increased by 34 per cent in the past two years.
Mr Murphy said while the new awareness campaign was aimed at preventing knife crime, it did not represent a softening of Garda attitudes towards those who carry the weapons. “I wouldn’t like people to go away thinking that this is a softly, softly approach; far from it,” he said.
“Carrying a knife is against the law and if you are caught you will be charged. Carrying a knife also greatly increases your chances of being seriously injured or killed in a fight.”
Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern echoed Mr Murphy’s concerns. He said young people needed to get the message that carrying knives could lead to death or serious injury that would have devastating consequences for the attacker and victim.
He said the How Big Do You Feel? campaign was not simply an advertising campaign. “It is a focused awareness campaign aimed at changing people’s behaviour. It will form an intrinsic part of the approach of An Garda Síochána to community policing.”
Mr Ahern said he had reviewed suggestions by Mr Murphy on legislative changes that might help tackle knife crime. He had decided to increase the maximum prison sentence for possession of a knife from one year to five years.
He was also in the process of giving gardaí extra powers allowing them search without a warrant whenever they had reasonable grounds to suspect a person was carrying “any article” for illegal purposes.
Both measures would be contained in the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill. He also intended to ban the sale and importation of Samurai swords. The ban would be included in the new Firearms and Offensive Weapons Order, which is currently being drafted. Gardaí currently have 12 How Big Do You Feel? schools roadshows planned for the weeks ahead. The events take the form of an address by members of the force to children. Videos are also shown and items such as bags and pens branded with the How Big Do You Feel? logo are distributed to children. Each roadshow will feature a well-known personality who will address children on the issue of knife crime and more broadly on setting positive life goals. In the first roadshow Dublin footballer Jason Sherlock addressed school children in Ballyfermot, Dublin.
Knife Crime: statistics
Possession of knives increased by 15 per cent last year and by 34 per cent over the past two years.
Over a quarter of all knife crime happens in the home.
One-third of knife crime happens in public areas, with one in six attacks occurring in shops.
Over two-thirds of knife crime occurs between 5pm and 5am, with the peak time falling between 9pm and 11pm.
Ninety per cent of knife crime offenders are male and 70 per cent of victims are male.
Stabbing murders increased steadily between 2003 and 2007, peaking at 37 cases in 2007. However, knife killings fell to 15 cases last year.
Assaults causing harm involving knives have increased steadily since 2003.
Almost one-third of fatal and non-fatal knife attacks are carried out by those under 20 years, with one in seven victims under 20 years.
Source: An Garda Síochána
