Simon Hughes gives evidence to knife crime inquiry

11.00.00am GMT Tue 18th Nov 2008

As a south London MP and campaigner for youth justice Simon Hughes today spoke as a witness before the Home Affairs Select Committee on knife crime.

Marking the launch of a new committee inquiry the seminar brought together politicians, the police, leading youth organisations, community groups and young people to inform the terms of the new inquiry.

Simon Hughes implored the committee to remember that, "First and foremost every death and injury from knife crime is a human tragedy which leaves anger, devastation, bereavement and terrible scars in their wake."

He said that "High crime figures and the extensive reporting of youth crime must not let us forget that London is still a great city to live in or that our young people are overwhelmingly good and law abiding young citizens. We all have a responsibility to challenge adult attitudes, like that in today's Barnardo's survey, which paint such a negative picture of young people.

"Young people are too often personified as a threat not a promise. Politicians, like all other responsible adults, must always seek to portray young people as a promise not a threat."

Responding to questions from the committee chair Keith Vaz MP, Simon Hughes said that prevention of knife crime needs to be focussed on supporting education in school and in the home: "Preventing knife crime begins with teaching better communication to children and parents at primary school, to teaching peer group mediation and anger management at secondary school, by supporting young people with mentors, before and after school activities and the best possible offers of sporting and youth activities.

From south London and from today's very valuable seminar it is clear that a huge amount of good work is already being done. If we are to capture the growing community mood which says 'ENOUGH! We must make youth violence history', then we must build on the best of present practice and support the huge amounts of good work already being done."

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