Although the carrying of knives has been prevalent for the past few thousand years, and is therefore probably never going to go away, there’s no doubt that today’s adolescents and teenagers want to carry a knife as they deem it necessary for personal protection. Many of them also think it’s a really cool thing to do.
Knife-related crime on streets all over the world is at an all-time high. Hospitals receive hundreds of victims of knife attacks every month, with figures of 55% of murders attributable to knife wounds being reported.
According to new police figures more than 35,000 children in the UK were ether attacked or threatened with an edged weapon of some kind last year. That equates to 96 kids every day… and those are the ones they know about. In the last few weeks, the number of teenagers who have died as a result of violent crime this year has risen to 50.
Out of all my years of research, teaching and writing about this subject, one of the overriding factors has always been that the majority of people who carry knives have little or no understanding of the ease with which their ‘stash’ can cause fatal injury. This is particularly applicable to youngsters. They have no inkling of the reality, which is… If they attack or defend themselves with a blade and they don’t kill the person, it’s more out of luck than any skill or judgment. Just piercing the skin can be all it takes. There’s a very fine line between a minor cut and a fatal wound.
Types of incised wound
This wound occurs when skin is rubbed or scratched away at the surface. A scrape is normally not a fatal wound, but it has been known for people to get a small scratch infected and die from blood poisoning.
This wound is a cut, split or gash in the skin. It can have either a jagged or smooth edge. It’s longer than it is deep.
If a wound such as this involves major blood vessels, it will be life-threatening, but generally this type is not as serious as a stab wound.
This wound is when the skin is pierced. It is deeper than it is long. As puncture or stab wounds tend to penetrate more deeply than lacerations, they often come into contact with vital organs (most often in the chest and abdomen). Stabbing is the most common cause of homicide in the UK.
It’s crucial to understand that, although less common than slash wounds, stab wounds can be made with minimal force. Once the point of a blade penetrates clothing and skin, very little force is required to follow through and create a deep wound. Furthermore, the faster the stab, the easier it is to penetrate.
This wound is basically an extreme form of puncture. It is when a blade such as a sword, bayonet or any other sharp object has passed totally through a part of the body.
This wound is when a portion of skin is torn. This can be partial, with a portion of skin remaining as a ‘flap’. A total avulsion is when a body part is completely torn away.
Victims can sustain very characteristic injuries when they have tried to ward off blows from a knife attack. There are often multiple lacerations across the palms of the hands where there have been attempts to grab the blade. Also, it’s common to see defensive wounds found on the outer aspects of the forearms.
Life sentence or a death sentence
It’s as easy to kill with a laceration as it is to wound with a scratch. If the body is punctured or impaled, it will only be by chance if the blade doesn’t hit a vital organ or artery.
Most people who carry a knife believe that it offers them protection. In reality, it only offers them a life sentence… or even a death sentence.
The bravado displayed by knife carrying adolescents and teenagers is frightening, and stems from total ignorance about what a knife can do. However, accidental murder is still murder. Stab somebody in the chest and it might just hit the bone. The victim may survive. However, if the blade passes through the ribs and penetrates a vital organ, well that’s a different story.
Any knife, no matter how large or small, can kill. From combat weapons to the potato knife in your kitchen drawer, they are all so easily accessible that anybody can find one, but most people are totally oblivious of how easy it is to inflict a fatal injury.
What I’m saying here is extremely simple. If you carry a knife, then you must accept the fact that you’re a potential murder.
I have spent a lifetime studying this subject and, as many readers of Security Management Today and info4security will know, my weapons awareness and personal protections programs are delivered all over the world.
The overriding message is always EDUCATION, and especially educating the victims and giving them some options on what they can do to avoid and survive what may turn into dire, life-threatening situations.
*Steve Collins is CEO of PS5
