“When you look at the kids that are involved, every kid, whether they be rich or poor, black or white, you will notice one thing; they are not loved at home.”
— Sheldon Thomas

Location: Bedford
Date: Monday, 20th January 2020
Company: Gangsline
Role: Founder

Incidents of knife crime in the UK are on the increase. In the 12 months ending March 2019, there were over 43,000 knife crime offences, marking an 80% increase on the same period in 2014. Of the 44 police forces throughout the UK, all but one recorded an increase in this kind of crime.

While London has the highest number of knives on the street, this issue is not confined to the capital. Cities like Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Nottingham are also seeing a marked increase.

The reason for this increase in is unclear, and while there likely isn’t a single answer, the blame has been laid on county lines drug dealing, lack of father figures, falling government funding for youth services and even social media.

Observations have also been made that while knife crime has increased, the police force has shrunk, with 20,000 fewer police officers than in 2010. Despite this decline, former Prime Minister, Theresa May claimed “no direct-correlation” to the increase in knife crime.

In this interview, I speak with Sheldon Thomas, an ex-gang member and founder of Gangsline, a non-profit organisation that provides help and support to young people involved in gang culture. We discuss the growing knife crime problem in the UK and Sheldon’s observations from the frontline of this growing epidemic.

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Show notes and transcription: https://www.defiance.news/podcast/an-ex-gang-member-on-uk-knife-crime-sheldon-thomas

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Timestamps:
Coming soon…

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