Vicky Foxcroft, the Labour MP for Lewisham Deptford and head of a cross-party parliamentary commission on youth violence, has criticised media coverage that glamorises knife crime. She argues that sensationalist reporting, which often labels young people from ethnic minorities as gangsters, is counterproductive and alienates vulnerable youth.
Foxcroft stated that young people have told the commission that the media consistently portrays them negatively and ignores positive role models. She called for responsible reporting, emphasising that sensationalism can glamorise violence and encourage some young people to embrace that identity.
Her comments come as the Guardian launches Beyond the Blade, a year-long project tracking knife deaths of children and teenagers across Britain. The project aims to provide a national record, as no official data currently exists. In 2017, nine young people have been killed, including a five-year-old and a 16-year-old girl, challenging stereotypes that knife crime only affects black teenage boys in London.
NHS data shows 4,054 hospital admissions for assault with sharp instruments in the year ending March 2016, a 13% increase. Among those, 771 were under 19, a 22% rise. Metropolitan police figures indicate youth violence in London is at a five-year high, with knife-related injuries up 20%.
Foxcroft stressed the need for better opportunities and positive press coverage to help young people develop self-worth, asking: “If you have no self-worth are you then afraid of being stabbed?”
