Violent 'epidemic' under scrutiny
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk/7503895.stm Version 0 of 1. Knife crime - and how to tackle it - makes headlines in Sunday's papers. "60 knife attacks a day," says the Sunday Telegraph, claiming figures from police across England and Wales show the problem has now become an "epidemic". The Mail on Sunday has more "extremely alarming" statistics which it says show stabbings have risen by more than 35% in some areas in the last nine months. The cause? The News of the World editorial blames "the casual sale of deadly blades" to teenagers. Youth curfews But how can police and politicians stem the tide of knife violence? Gordon Brown is praised by the Sunday Mirror for his "harsh yet practical" plans, which include forcing offenders to visit stab victims in hospital. But the Sunday Express disagrees. It accuses the government of "going soft" for ruling out automatic jail sentences for youngsters caught carrying knives Meanwhile, the Sunday Times carries a poll which suggests more than eight out of 10 people favour youth curfews. War on waste A Sunday Mirror investigation into Britain's supermarkets claims staff are being ordered to throw out food before it is past its sell-by date. The paper says big chains must show they have "a conscience" and give unsold food to the homeless instead. But Sir Terry Leahy, boss of Tesco, hits back at such claims in the Independent on Sunday. He says he "hardly wastes anything" apart from his own profit when he sells some items at reduced prices. Guerrilla unmasked Children's films have abandoned their audience in favour of "in-jokes" aimed at adults, says the Observer. Gurinder Chadha, director of hit British film Bend it like Beckham, tells the paper that children's movies have lost their sense of "innocence and wonderment". And the Mail on Sunday shatters another illusion - that of so-called guerrilla graffiti artist Banksy. The paper says the "renegade" is in fact a former public schoolboy from Bristol called Robin Gunningham. |