'It's either kill or be killed': Teen shows off machete as he reveals shocking reality of gang life
The shocking truth behind Britain's gang violence was laid bare when ITV News visited Birmingham ahead of the unveiling of the Government's multi-million pound crime strategy.
When our team approached a group of young men on a city estate, one was happy to show off a machete he kept hidden in his tracksuit.
"It's either kill or be killed," he told us.
"If somebody backs out a knife to me, I'm going to have something bigger.
"It's not just for show, I'm prepared to use it. If someone's willing to take my life, I'm willing to take theirs first."
The teen, whose identity we have kept anonymous, said many young people in the area have little choice but to arm themselves in order to survive. Without the weapons, he says, they would be killed.
"You've gotta survive for yourself," he said. "If not, you're just gonna die like the rest of them.
"Everyone's gonna say 'RIP' but that's it, you're still dead. If you don't fight, you're dying. Simple."
These gangs know they could end up in prison because of their actions, but it doesn't put them off. They say they have to take the risk in order to survive.
Many are born into the situation, with the teen telling us it is a generational problem that is nearly impossible to escape.
He said: "Most people are born into it from their parents. So you've got a problem with other children, problems between everyone.
"You can't get out of it, it's your area. If you're in this area and someone else is from a different area and they come to you, you can't get out of it. That's where you live, that's your area. You're stuck."
So how can the violence be stopped?
One suggestion has been police increasing the use of stop and search, something the teen said would put him off carrying a weapon, but not using it.
"It would just have to be hidden somewhere," he said. "If anything happened, we'd just have to go there and get it, you can't be walking around with that knowing that feds are gonna be doing that."
Home Secretary Amber Rudd has vowed to do "whatever it takes" to make Britain's streets safe when she unveiled plans to combat violent crime on Monday.
The Serious Violence Strategy is led by a new Offensive Weapons Bill that aims to make it particularly hard for young criminals to arm themselves.
Comments
Post a Comment