'knife-detectors' In Island Schools

[Grianane]

http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/Knifedetect...uced.3702807.jp

 

Interesting story, especially this bit:-

 

"In July it was revealed that two students at Ramsey Grammar where suspended for taking a knife into school and threatening two others with it.

 

The police considered that the incidents were not sufficiently serious to warrant prosecution."

 

 

I wonder if they'd be so considerate if they were the ones threatened with a knife.............they're trained to deal with threatening situations whereas the majority of school children would just be scared shitless.

[Ean]

You've got to be kidding me!! Metal detectors are yet to be introduced in the roughest schools in the UK, places like Moss Side etc. Whilst the UK Govt. has approved this measure they are not in place yet. Knife crime isn't even high on the Island as a whole.

 

What would you prefer, a school wastes a lot of money on walk through metal detectors at every entrance at a cost of 2-3 grand a pop or gets to upgrade their IT suite with all new computers? From memory of the number of entrances at SNHS and at the minimal cost of £2000 it would force them to stump up £18,000 for a threat that is extremely unlikely. Not only that but then you have the cost of manning each detector, either by independent security or by staff which would mean either even more money spent on security staff or an inefficient use of the current staffs time.

 

There is not a knife culture in the schools at the minute, by all means when we have a similar experience to the UK with children being stabbed at school on a weekly level then fine bring in metal detectors but until that moment it seems like an astronomical waste of money.

[Albert Tatlock]

I don't think it warrants all that expense either. However, there is a compromise for £25 - hand held detector, kept stored for whenever the need or suspicions arise.

 

The trouble is, like it or not, something will inevitably happen one day (just look at how many from the UK are coming to live here) - that is a matter of probability - but to do absolutely nothing about it is a non-option for me.

[Lonan3]

In my schooldays, every lad had a penknife in his pocket. Are they forbidden now as well?

[Sharp]

In my schooldays, every lad had a penknife in his pocket. Are they forbidden now as well?

 

 

In my schooldays every teacher had a cane, and we had discipline, canes are forbidden now, do we still have discipline .

[Lonan3]

In my schooldays, every lad had a penknife in his pocket. Are they forbidden now as well?

 

 

In my schooldays every teacher had a cane, and we had discipline, canes are forbidden now, do we still have discipline .

Good teachers have. Poor teachers haven't.

[Sharp]

How many schools have a MR SAMWELL teaching in them. anyone remember him at St Ninians.

[triskelion]

Ean, the article is actually titled that they will not be introduced:

 

"A DoE spokesman said: 'Despite the isolated incident referred to, there is thankfully currently no widespread problem with students attempting to take weapons into schools.

 

'Therefore, we have no plans at present to introduce scanning devices. However, that policy would be reviewed if the need arose.'"

 

I'll tell you where we do need scanners: At the Steam Packet's English ports.

[VinnieK]

Surely a more cost effective solution would be to arm the teachers with taser guns, or install a system that can pump CS gas into individual classrooms at the flick of a switch the moment trouble starts. It may seem drastic, but imagine a child attacks another with a knife. Now replace the attacker with six children, and replace their knives with guns, and make the victim a baby and the attackers all dirty 40 year old benefit cheats... not so unthreatening now is it?

 

Tsch! Bleeding heart liberals turning justice on its head etc. etc.

[Ean]

Ean, the article is actually titled that they will not be introduced:

 

"A DoE spokesman said: 'Despite the isolated incident referred to, there is thankfully currently no widespread problem with students attempting to take weapons into schools.

 

'Therefore, we have no plans at present to introduce scanning devices. However, that policy would be reviewed if the need arose.'"

 

I'll tell you where we do need scanners: At the Steam Packet's English ports.

 

My argument was more against the original poster who seemed to be suggesting that this was the wrong decision, I agreed entirely with the decision by the DoE to not install the detectors. Oh and the steam packet do have a walkthrough detector in Liverpool but it's use seems occasional at best.

 

P.S . Vinnie you are Chris Morris and I claim my £5!

[triskelion]

My argument was more against the original poster who seemed to be suggesting that this was the wrong decision, I agreed entirely with the decision by the DoE to not install the detectors. Oh and the steam packet do have a walkthrough detector in Liverpool but it's use seems occasional at best.

My mistake, sorry.

 

I just thought it was weird that my luggage is x-rayed and I go through a metal detector at the Sea Terminal, as if I might be smuggling drugs or lethal weapons into England, yet for the recent political discussion on the drugs situation on the Island, the Government hasn't requested the Steam Packet take even this basic step.

[Nitro]

I know of 2 people that carried knives (one was a pocket key ring knife that wouldn't puncture a balloon), the other was a proper pen knife... not as cool as the guy who had a bb gun in his bag though!

[Cret]

To be honest when I was at school myself and a lot of friends used to regularly take in knives and sometimes BB guns.

Not to be 'cool' or 'hard' or because we listened to music that made us want to, but simply for doing swaps and comparing who had what new things & innocent youth like stuff like that. Especially being a bit rural, you always have a knife with you while out playing as it'd be useful for loads of (non dodgy) stuff. Yes you knew you probably shouldn't but you also knew it wasn't a big deal, so where's the harm.

There was never any nefarious intentions, and I'm sure a large number of the teachers knew seeing as every now & again someone would get caught with one & told they shouldn't have it in school, but that was about it.

 

No-one really worried because nothing had actually given cause for people to actually be worried and I suppose whilst the potential for something bad to happen was there, nothing really would have done because disputes would be settled by a bit of fisticuffs - stabbing & the like was something done by really bad people, not friends that had fallen out.

 

I suppose it's a case of 'jumpers for goalposts' really, but times obviously are changing and whilst I certainly wouldn't say that it was especially clever of us to take things like that to school back then, you'd have to be pretty stupid to do it now, given how seriously that sort of thing gets treated.

I don't think there's a need for detectors either, but one day when something does sadly happen there will always be those that start asking why wasn't there stuff in place to prevent it happening in the first place, rather than acting after the fact.

[Pat Ayres]

I don't think it warrants all that expense either. However, there is a compromise for £25 - hand held detector, kept stored for whenever the need or suspicions arise.

 

The trouble is, like it or not, something will inevitably happen one day (just look at how many from the UK are coming to live here) - that is a matter of probability - but to do absolutely nothing about it is a non-option for me.

The crimes are dictated by the circumstances of the criminal, just because someone comes from England doesn't mean they are likely to commit the same crimes here. The culture is totally different with less stress and a better standard of life. Unless you're just picking on the immigrant population that don't share the same ethnic background as yourself, (which I suspect is the case here).

The question is begged in your statement "just look at how many from the UK are coming to live here" How many what? You exclude English people, so I assume you are being more specific. Care to share your thoughts a bit more clearly?