07/02/2008 The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) have created an innovative online video and game to combat the UK’s rising knife crime. Now, we all know that carrying a knife isn’t a game (well the sensible majority of us) but when you consider that a large percentage of those that carry a knife are youths you can understand the Met. Police’s new initiative. After all, what better way to grab the attention and send out a message to the “kid’s” and “teens” than with a reasonably comical video and game? (www.notagoodlook.org)
The intention of the MPS is to tackle issues of kudos (the way kids feel when they carry a sharp-tool). Sure, some people carry a knife because they think it gives them “street cred” and makes them feel that they’re “down with the kids”, but frankly that’s BS. Let’s face the facts here; it doesn’t transform you - “Ahlakazoo Alakazam” - from Bruce Banner to the Incredible Hulk, it improves the chances of causing physical (possibly fatal) harm and makes you far more likely to receive a hefty punishment…
Hence why the Met. Police have made the knife carrying protagonist in their video and game a carbon copy of Dame Edna Everage, with a ‘ghetto’ twist that youth can relate to… Baseball cap, orange leggings, garish socks, green furry coat, that kind of thing. Oh, and the crème de la crème of nineties chic, the bum-bag, or fanny-bag depending on your stance. Gok Wan would have a field day!
As an MPS spokesperson explains: “Our experience is that young people carry knives for a number of reasons including a misguided sense of kudos or self-protection, or in order to commit offences. Those engaged in serious violence will end up  damaging their lives either tragically, or by being arrested and having to deal with a criminal record. We will not tolerate offending which blights the lives of our young people”.
In the video our ludicrously attired knife-carrier is shunned and ignored by his casually dressed peers… Including girls, because let’s face it, they don’t find a sharp-tool “cool” or “clever”. They’d much rather date a lawyer, a mathematician or a journalist… Anyway, the video culminates in the ‘ol knife carrier showing his tool to a mate (who’s really impressed) and before you know it his wide-smiled acquaintance is transformed into a clown. The moral of the story? Carry a knife and you look like a twat, you’ll live the life of a twat and you’ll probably remain a twat. So get rid of the knife carrying and step back into the real-world you fool!
The online game is pretty creative and fun too. Even at the (not so) tender age of 23 I had hours of enjoyment drawing fish, badgers and smiley faces to hamper the life of the knife-wielding thug. The game allows you to punish the knife carrier in a variety of ways by creating an interactive world, pressing play, and watching the madness as it unfolds. You can draw lines for the chap to walk across and draw obstacles that have various consequences when he comes into contact with them.
Anyway, rather than bore you with the online adventures in my man’s world; the lemon that trapped him in a corner, the randy badger, and the huge cock that flew-up and hit him smack-bang in the bollocks; I’ll let you see the video and play the game yourself.
A) It is an offence to use someone to hold a weapon.
B) The maximum sentence for carrying a knife has increased from 2 years to 4 years. If you injure someone or use a knife to commit a crime the penalties could be far worse.
C) There has been an increase to the minimum age to buy a knife from 16 – 18.
D) New powers have been made available to members of staff in schools and further education to search pupils.
Words: Dave Dryden |
