The press have created a type of hysteria over knife-crime and it is so easy to get drawn into it.
It's a shame that stabbings have happened in your town, and yes, it is becoming something more of a problem, but sometimes the true facts are different from the bare facts.
In the town where my ex lives, there were THREE STABBED IN A WEEK according to the local paper, and a flood of concerned people whjo felt the town was no longer safe.
The facts were that all three incidents were domestic related, where women had stabbed their abusive partners in their homes - one of whom died.
The headline DOMESTIC ABUSE SOARS wouldnt have sold papers, and wouldnt have had the same impact.
In my village, there are constant reports of gangs of youthes roaming and terrorising the streets, yet all I see is a group of friends hanging around with nothing to do, very much like I did with my mates 25 years ago.
There is no doubt that moral standards are plummeting, respect for parents and any kind of authority is plummeting, and there are certain areas that must be horrible to grow up in. However, the media hype is making us all worried that everywhere is becoming a ghetto - which isn't true.
The sun is shining, it's a beautiful day and I'm off for a sandwich by the side of the river to cool down!