Britain Cracks Down on Knives After 11th Teen Is Slain in London

Tsehainesh Medhani, left, grieves with other family members for her 15-year-old daughter, Arsema Dawit, who died in a knife attack this week. (By Stefan Rousseau -- Associated Press)

According to government statistics, 6 to 7 percent of all violent crime and about a third of murders in Britain are knife-related, figures virtually unchanged over the past decade.

But the trend of increasingly young offenders committing increasingly violent acts with knives suggests a larger problem in society, particularly in inner-city areas, Solomon said.

"I don't think there are kids prowling the streets with knives looking to kill somebody," he said. "These kids are carrying knives for self-protection."

Solomon said the problem was rooted in factors such as poor educational achievement and a lack of social services for many children.

On Thursday, some youth workers said Brown's initiatives were insufficient. "If the answer was to lock up more young people, then we would have solved the problem years ago," David Chaytor of the youth advocacy group Rainer told BBC Radio.

Near the apartment block where this week's killing took place, several people interviewed said the death didn't fit the usual pattern. Arsema Dawit, an immigrant from Eritrea who turned 15 last week, was apparently killed in a premeditated attack. Arsema's family said the man charged with killing her had threatened and assaulted her five weeks ago.

Normally, residents said, those hurt by knives were carrying knives themselves. They said their neighborhood, near Waterloo train station, is a generally peaceful area that has become frightening in recent years.

"You feel it's not so fun anymore. You scared. You really scared," said Barwaqo Farah, 32, whose daughters, ages 7 and 8, attend school directly across the street from where the stabbing took place.

Darren Smith, 21, who lives in the Brixton section of London but was looking for work near Waterloo this week, said many people "carry knives whenever they go out . . . because sometimes they have a lot of problems on the road with other people."

Arsema's family met reporters Thursday outside their home. They have filed a complaint alleging that police did not properly follow up after the family complained about the alleged assault five weeks ago. Police have referred the complaint to a watchdog agency.

Special correspondent Karla Adam contributed to this report.