Jacqui Smith: Stand up for each other in face of crime
Saturday, 19 Jul 2008 08:25
Home secretary Jacqui Smith says public should 'stand up for others'
Home secretary Jacqui Smith has said the public should "stand up for others" if they witness a crime being committed.
With 21 teenagers stabbed to death in London alone this year, some commentators have urged Britons to avoid intervening in fights or public scuffles.
But shortly after London mayor Boris Johnson advised youngsters to "walk away" in these situations, Ms Smith has said she would hope people would be willing to intervene to help their fellow citizens.
"I would never say 'Don't get involved'," she told the Daily Telegraph newspaper, stressing that was she was not urging people to "wade into a fight".
"I hope that we don't live - and I don't believe incidentally that we do live - in a country where people aren't willing to stand up for others," she explained.
Her remarks come after British Crime Survey figures revealed almost 130,000 knife crimes were committed in England and Wales in 2007.
Speaking after the funeral of 16-year-old Ben Kinsella - who was stabbed to death in Islington after intervening in a fight outside a bar - Ms Smith admitted that she does share Mr Johnson's concerns over the safety of her children.
The mayor had said he would advise his own children not to intervene in public violence, adding: "Whatever you do, if you see a fight in the street, don't risk it because someone could have a knife. I'm saying to kids: don't get involved, move away."
And Ms Smith admitted: "I'm the mum of a teenage son. There is not a parent of a teenager who wouldn't worry about any kid, whatever colour or background, being stabbed."