Knife Crime Survey

by Justin Cohen - Thursday 24th July 2008


As hundreds of people marched through the capital to protest against the blight of knife crime this week, a Jewish welfare project unveiled an initiative to gauge the extent of concern over the issue and discover how many community members have been directly affected.

Streetwise, which engages with young people on issues of personal safety and development, said the results of its new online survey launched today on anti-social behaviour and knife crime would help shape its work.

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“The Jewish community, like any other community, is part of British society and therefore it is important that we examine one of the biggest issues occupying this country today,” said Streetwise Project Manager Ashley Lerner. “We have always taught about street awareness and basic self defence techniques as part of our personal safety workshops, it is important for all young people to feel confident and safe when they go about their daily routines.”

Among the survey’s seven questions, respondents are asked whether they or anyone they know has been a victim or known a victim of knife crime and whether they are worried about being a victim.

This year alone, 21 teenagers have lost their lives to violent crime in the capital, including 14-year-old David Idowu whose family led a protest march on Tuesday. But it is not just London that has been affected by this blight. In June, father of three Michael Kahan, a key figure in the klezmer community, was stabbed to death close to his family home in Manchester, while Anglo-Jewry lost one of its brightest stars in 2006 when former UJS chair Alan Senitt was killed in Washington.

Lerner confirmed that the issues of anti-social behaviour and knife crime do come up as an area of concern during the project’s contact with youngsters and parents, but said: “The purpose of the survey is to engage a larger proportion of the community and to then respond to its needs. Streetwise will always teach young people how to be safe on the streets, but issues of body image, bullying and substance misuse are just another three topics which have a big impact on the lives of young people. There are many pressures young people face today, how high up anti-social behaviour and knife crime is on that list will be determined by responses to the survey.”

And he told TJ: “Streetwise wants to be proactive with ensuring the community’s feelings are being represented rather than using the general media as a barometer on these issues.”

The results of the questionnaire, which can be accessed at www.streetwisegb.org/survey, will be published at the end of the summer.

“Streetwise will be able to shape its programming to be responsive to the Jewish community’s feelings,” said Lerner. “Further action will be taken depending on any conclusions which can be made from the survey’s results.”

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