It was back near the start of the year. I had popped into McDonalds for a reviving afternoon cup of tea (before they changed supplier)
Three boys aged about 17 came to the next table. Casually dressed & a bit noisy, but it was soon evident that they were what in my youth would have been called grammar school boys
One had bought some kind of small electronic gizmo in the usual impenetrable packaging. Wait for so-and-so, said one. He has a knife
So-and-so arrived. When asked, reached into the calf pocket of his combats & produced a penknife
That’s a bit estate, isn’t it? said one of his friends
The knife was just like the one I used to carry, when in Girl Guide uniform, hanging from a special hook on the belt. His was even quite venerable looking – might have been passed down by one of his grandparents
I wonder if he is still carrying it now, risking arrest if he gets caught by the increased police search activity
It is not the first time we have had a panic about young men & knives. I remember a great to-do about flick knives in the 50s. And wasn’t Brighton Rock about knife gangs?
This panic has been building for a long time. A few high-profile incidents. More than one article by anxious London-based columnists, wondering how to tread the line between mithering molly-coddling maternal concern & raising a confident, street-wise hero son
I have recently been wondering what kind of knives are being used these days – something the press reports seem strangely silent about. Sir Ian Blair gave the answer yesterday. Kitchen knives
This just illustrates how the carrying of a knife can not be an absolute offence. Even I sometimes carry a craft knife or Swiss Army knife in my bag
And it cannot be yet another If you look as if you might be under 21 offence
However it seems pretty clear that boys themselves will be profoundly grateful if grown ups really can sort this one out
