\'Pervasive\' Knife Crime in Britain Reaches Record Numbers

They’re the scenes we’re all too familiar with.

A vigil in Columbine marking the 20th anniversary of that horrific shooting.

But over in Britain, violence of a different kind.

The country is grappling with a record number of stabbings.????In the past year a record 285 lives lost to knife-related homicides in just England and Wales.????Knives, a weapon of choice in the UK used in 39% of homicides.

Guns used in just 4% of homicides.????A problem especially prevalent among young men, Prime Minister Theresa May calling it a “cancer.”????“In the recent months we've seen an appalling number of young lives that have been cut short or devastated by serious violent crime.”????Some blame cuts to spending on mental health services, social media, or fewer police on the streets.

Others chalk it up to a generation feeling lost.????Even President Trump has pointed out the issue telling the NRA last year “...they don't have guns, they have knives…” In 2017 the US saw over 10,000 (10,982) people died by firearms. In Britain there were 32 deaths.????But there may be a solution.

Physician Gary Slutkin of Cure Violence says the key is to treat it like an epidemic.

Find influential people in the community and use them to interrupt the spread.

????Glasgow, Scotland taking that approach.

Once the place with the highest murder rate in Western Europe, now seeing a dramatic drop.