Knife-based violence: are we doing enough to combat blade-wielding aggressors?

28 Aug 09

If it’s too idealistic to believe the notion that, somewhere in our midst, there exists one refined solution for addressing the problem of knife crime in UK plc, let’s at least be persistent in attempting to deal with this issue.

Over the last couple of years, we at SMT Online have been using our resources to shed more light on this unacceptable face of violence. In turn, we’re making sure it never quite gets swept under the carpet by the Government.

We have been talking with key figures – Steve Collins from PS5 among them – who work within the security industry or related sectors to hear what they have to say about this problem so that more can information might be disseminated and assimilated in relation to knife-based aggression.

Another key figure in the debate is Aran Dharmeratnam. One of the UK’s leading self-defence instructors, Aran has written for us on numerous occasions, and took part in a live debate on knife crime within the SMT SELECT Lounge at IFSEC this summer. His company, Globalkick Systema Training, provides practical advice that can help people to avoid or overcome aggressive situations.

A few days ago, SMT Online’s Editor Brian Sims caught up with Aran for an interview that outlines his latest thoughts on the knife crime debate.

SMT Online: Do you think the level of knife crime in the UK is now at the worst level it has ever been? Can we believe the Government’s word that this type of criminality is now declining, because that’s not what the mainstream media is telling us?

Aran Dharmeratnam: Well, I’m not really one for quoting statistics or discussing crime figures but my own opinion or feeling on this matter is that knife crime is certainly at an unacceptable level. Working within the self-defence industry, I have encountered many people who have faced violent situations and, in some cases, knives were involved.

SMT Online: So why do you think it’s the knife in particular that has become a popular ‘street weapon of choice’?

Aran Dharmeratnam: On the one hand, we have the more simplistic factors such as the truism that knives are quite obtainable or quite accessible to street aggressors. They are easy to conceal, easy to dispose of and can be dangerous even in the hands of an untrained, physically unimposing individual.

Looking at the problem on other levels, as we have said before knives in this type of situation are the ‘tool of the aggressive’, and aggressive individuals are often people that lack patience – they want to intimidate or hurt people very quickly.

We talk of this type of volatile person as ‘having a short fuse’ and so the knife offers a quick way to lash out and inflict violence on other.

The other thing to note is that some aggressors are using this weapon for the specific purpose of mugging someone, and they know that the knife can offer a strong way to intimidate and control.

There is another reason knives come into play, and that reason is fear.

SMT Online: You mention this connection between fear and knife-related violence, and indeed there is this belief that within today’s youth culture, there are youths out there who feel vulnerable to gang attacks. They feel the need to carry this type of weapon because they’re afraid of becoming a victim.

Aran Dharmeratnam: Yes. I agree that this could be the case for some youths, especially for those who live in an area where there is gang violence. However, when we talk about fear as a factor that can inspire knife-based violence, we need to look at the impact of fear on a deeper level.

Fear can spill into the person from many different areas including their domestic environment or from their surroundings. Fear can also spill into the person’s psyche when there is some emptiness.

Over the years, we as a society have somehow allowed vacuums to occur within our young people. Fear and aggression can fill these vacuums very quickly. With this there are also different types of fear that the young might harbour.

Fear manifests in different ways. For example, there’s the fear of not being able to fit in and sadly the carrying of a blade offers a route towards being accepted into gang culture. Alongside this is the fear of not wishing to appear weak in front of other members of the gang culture.

SMT Online: Aran, you worked in the security sector in the 1990s. Do you feel that there was a significant level of knife violence back then?

Aran Dharmeratnam: Yes, there was. I guess the truth is knife violence has been around for a long time.

When I worked as a door supervisor, the Security Industry Authority’s (SIA) regulations were not yet in place. There was probably less communication between door supervisors and police, so maybe knife-related incidents weren’t reported on a frequent basis.

Perhaps today those in security are more aware of the extent of this threat. There are a lot more front of house security staff wearing stab proof vests these days. I think this type of precaution is a sensible one to take.

SMT Online: Do you think today’s security operatives, be they officers or door supervisors, are better prepared to deal with the threat?

Aran Dharmeratnam: It really depends more on the individual – the level of training they have had, their experience and their background. I think it’s important that security personnel are given access to both training that helps them to diffuse aggressive situations and also training that assists them when it comes to protecting themselves if the situation escalates into physical violence.

Maybe the door supervisor’s training course that people need to complete in order to gain their SIA license could address the physical side of confrontation a little more.

SMT Online: Would you agree, Aran, that much more in-depth tuition in the physical aspect of the security role – in other words conflict resolution – would benefit personnel working in many other branches of security as well?

Aran Dharmeratnam: Certainly. Not so long ago I was asked to give a talk at a security company and, in listening to the security managers in attendance, many of them were working front of house. I could really sense the stress these gentlemen carried as a result of the aggression they’d had to face in their everyday work. Some of the incidents described were obviously really intense.

As well as the training that addresses the hands-on aspects of conflict management, I also think that security companies should look at further ways to help their people deal with the stress and intensity of frontline security environments.

SMT Online: Am I right in saying that some of your clients who have asked about this type of training are senior executives and professionals from other sectors?

Aran Dharmeratnam: Yes, that’s right. You know some people working in these areas have very fast-paced lives. Their working environment also brings with it stress or various challenges, and so the training isn’t simply about self-defence. It also offers a way to relax the body, to reduce tension and even recharge.

The physical aspects of training help to balance the mental intensity required at work. Of course, people appreciate the self-defence aspects especially if their work involves travel to various parts of the world, or just so that they can feel a bit safer when moving about the city.

SMT Online: Just looking again at this subject of knife-based violence, what are some of the factors that you address in your training?

Aran Dharmeratnam: We look at the subject from many angles. Rather than show a series of set, prearranged movements and hope that will be enough to help people, we deliberately progress matters a little further.

We look at the psychological aspects. We work on honing awareness. This is the tool that’s going to help a person avoid many potentially dangerous situations. We also look at ways of disengaging from the aggression and various tactical solutions.

The objective is not to give someone a false sense of security and, actually, most people fully appreciate the high risk nature of this type of scenario. At the same time, this training helps people to realise their own capabilities. One of the biggest aspects of the training is to help people in being more adaptive and more intuitive.

SMT Online: It sounds as if awareness is an important part of the training, then. On that basis, what are some of the factors you think people ought to be aware of when faced with a situation that may involve aggression?

Aran Dharmeratnam: Quite often, street aggressors tend to be very volatile so it’s good to be aware of the things that can ignite the aggression. It’s also good to be aware of body language or movement – these could be the physical indicators that a weapon is about to be drawn. Of course, there are also verbal indicators.

During training there are many other factors that can be explored in order to improve awareness. On the other hand, if one wants to look at awareness in more simplistic terms, there are three main aspects to be addressed.

First, an awareness of people – who is around us or visible on the horizon? Then we have awareness of surroundings. We need to be aware of the terrain we are moving through. Even during a confrontation, an awareness of the surroundings can be important or used to our advantage.

Third, we need the ‘awareness of within’. When we have a better understanding of ourselves or our physical state, we can operate better when under pressure. We will know the factors that make us lower our guard, and we will be better equipped to handle the emotional component.

SMT Online: In terms of the actual physical aspects of knife confrontation, where the knife has been drawn, what are some of the principles you cover in your training to deal with this scenario?

Aran Dharmeratnam: Well, to begin with I should point out that in this type of situation, the aggressor may initiate the physical hostility before the knife is even drawn. Sometimes they try to get very close or they may try to draw the knife as a physical confrontation unfolds.

The knife could be drawn out of fear of losing or out of a need to make a break for it.

One of the first areas we explore is to consider some of the different distances from which the weapon is drawn. People must also understand the way in which aggressors try to close in or cover distance very quickly.

This leads on to my next point which is that one of the key factors is familiarisation. That’s why, when in training, we try to look at some of the different strategies that aggressors may use. This familiarisation doesn’t help us to sense how the aggressor will respond in any given situation, but it does reduce our chances of being caught off guard.

We also need to look at the different ways in which blades are drawn, and sometimes there might be some set-up cues.

SMT Online: In dealing with a situation, how much depends upon the type of blade being used?

Aran Dharmeratnam: The size of the blade could influence the way in which it’s used. It could also determine where the blade is concealed, and how it’s drawn.

SMT Online: Do you feel that an increase in police ‘stop and search’ would assist in reducing the gang-based violence involving knives?

Aran Dharmeratnam: The police searches can certainly help to prevent possible knife crimes, in particular when they are able to spot the gangs that frequent certain areas. At the same, we also have to realise the psyche of some of these individuals is such that they are not deterred by the fact that they could be stopped and searched. Some potential aggressors will still be carrying the knives.

SMT Online: How do you feel about other Government-induced steps that have been used to reduce knife crime, such as the ban on swords or this idea of asking people to hand in their edged weapons?

Aran Dharmeratnam: In all honesty, I don’t think the sword ban was such a helpful move. As I mentioned before, the knives are the problem. These are the weapons that are being carried on the streets, that are easy to hide and that emerge very suddenly during the confrontation.

A ban of sorts focusing on swords is more disruptive to other members of the general public such as sword collectors, martial arts protagonists and people who want their sitting room to have that feudal Japanese feel!

When it comes to the handing in of knives, I know that many knives have been collected and that some of them look quite lethal, but I would be interested to know what type of people were handing in these weapons. Was it those individuals involved in street violence, or was it concerned members of the public simply trying to do their bit?

I understand that society needs to try different measures and see what works. Maybe this problem needs to be drenched with a stream of different solutions. I do think that we must also find measures that address the root of the problem – how dissolve the aggression and hatred that has built up in so many individuals.

If this aggression can be reduced, then there will be less fuel for this particular fire.

Aran Dharmeratnam is an expert in the field of self-defence training and the principal consultant at Globalkick Systema Training

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