Do u think the high prominence given to knife crime recently is linked with calls for National Service?

Question

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2007/02/british-army-recruitment-iraq

I have noticed that there is an increase in the calls for National Service from the general public due to the recent spate of knife crimes highlighted in the media. Do u think this is deliberate strategy to re-introduce National Service starting say with knife carrying yobs then working towards all youths.

Softening the public up!

Answer 1

Soften them up then shove in the knife

Answer 2

Yes. That already occurred to me yesterday.    I will emigrate with my son before that cr@p happens. If they want people to die for their sh|t policies they can volunteer themselves and leave us alone.  My son isn't going to die for them or for some country or people I do not give a toss about.  Today Iraq,  then Afgha... and then Iran and then on and on and on.

However, if national service is used to correct badly behaved kids and make men out of them, all well and good but if it is an excuse to draft everyone, irrespective of criminal records and bad behaviour, then no.

Answer 3

Forcing these knife happy criminals to do 'National Service' wouldn't change a thing - the British Army doesn't need or want criminals.

Nobody is born a criminal so it's time the government got a move on to get to the root of the problem.

I'm no expert but I do believe that these young people are rebelling against society because they feel abandoned.

Due to their poor social backgrounds and lack of education, they have no hope of getting employment which leads to a feeling of neglect and hopelessness.

Inevitably,  this frustration results in aggression and crime ...at this point the punishment isn't of any concern to the criminal.

PS. Lets hope National Service stays a thing of the past.

Answer 4

Imagine training up these reprobates to army standards, and then letting them back on the streets when their service ends. Things would be ten times as bad as they are now.

Answer 5

The Armed Services are not in favour of this, as they have enough on their plate, without becoming social workers. I don't think that the Government has any agenda on this one, as few Ministers actually did National Service themselves.

Answer 6

Well, the National Service just took young lads from all walks of life and trained them to kill without question. The 1960s saw an unprecedented rise in gun crime and armed robbery - as celebrated in such movies as the Italian Job and the James Bond stuff - which was enabled by such ready-trained, and government-funded killers being let loose into a society where greed and speed had become the fashion.

Answer 7

No

The last thing the services want is conscripts with no motivation.

Answer 8

No, I think it is something that is brought up whenever there are troubled kids int he papers.  I wonder why they don't instead, compare troubled areas to untroubled areas and work on the problems.  Let's see - too many kids on run down estates - always looking for trouble and excitement.  

Maybe it is time we proved that we were capable of looking after our children before we were allowed to keep them.

Answer 9

Ah....I wouldn't doubt it. But seriously...there are some terrible wasters out there...we've got to do something with them! I can't stand it when you get otherwise intelligent lads who choose to go the easy way....there's no need to be weak...and socio economic reasons don't excuse them either. I grew up in a very working class area...c**p school no hope...dole queue's...no expectations....but I and some others fought to get out....survival of the fittest.