Violence in Public

    On the 19^th of November, police arrested a 17-year-old for slashing another's right arm. They knew each other and one slash the other when they got into a dispute. Another two teens were arrested for possessing choppers at the Costa Sands resort. This has already been the third violent case in this month, besides the Downtown East and Bukit Panjang ones. Mr. Alvin Yeo, chairman of the Government Parliament Committee for Home Affairs and Law, suggested that some kind of registration for hunting and camping knives, could be started. Hardware stores said that they do not even question customers who buy knives, or even parangs, also known as machetes, no matter how young they are. When questioned, a sales assistant from Zener D.I.Y. store in Orchard Road said that customers buy them for their own personal use, so it is not nice to ask them.

    I feel that this is not right. In my opinion, anyone under 18 should be banned from buying any sort of knife, like what Britain has been doing. Personal use? What do teenagers even need such knives for? If their parents need them in their households, the parents themselves should be coming down to the store to buy the knives themselves. Laws have been so strict about murder in Singapore. By banning teenagers from buying any kind of knife in hardware stores, the number of assaults will decrease, I am sure. I propose that any patron at stores to buy knives of any sort must show their identification card.

Now, even people that possess any kind of weapon in public is arrested, and face jail for up to three years, with at least six strokes of the cane. Mr David Ho, a security consultant to several night clubs for over ten years, has founds weapons on young patrons, from common kitchen knives to knuckle dusters, which are banned in Singapore. He says that he hands such patrons to the police in such cases.

I think that the public can do their part too. If they see any youngsters holding weapons, they should immediately contact the police. As a responsible and vigilant citizen, we must always be on the lookout for anybody that breaks the law. School teachers can also remind their students not to break the laws. Brochures can be handed out to tell them the severe consequences of breaking the law. From my point of view, parents should create stricter rules for their children. For example, they should keep watch on their children's activities outdoors. As for the youths, most of them are forced to join the gangs by other members. I think that they should stay away from such people and seek assistance from their teachers and parents if they threaten them. If all of us do our part, I am sure that the number of such hacking incidents will decrease.