LONDON, ENGLAND (ANS) -- Concern about violent crime in Britain has swung back to knives and their availability to children.

So say Megan Lane and Brian Wheeler in an article titled Is knife crime really getting worse? for BBC News Online Magazine.

But one popular artist says the solution is reaching young people with Christian music.

In their report, Lane and Wheeler say the availability of kitchen knives, axes, razor sharp 'cat skinners' and Ninja-style throwing knives, is "a shopping list likely to send a chill down the spine."

They say these and other potentially lethal weapons can be easily bought by children, according to a new national survey in Britain.

Lane and Wheeler report that almost half of shops tested broke the law by selling knives to children under 16, according to the Trading Standards Institute. And Internet traders are even more of a pushover because of the anonymity involved in buying something online.

Evidence shows knife seizures are on the increase. The number of people convicted of carrying a blade in public rose from 2,559 in 1995 to 3,570 in 2000, according to the Home Office.

Reports from hospital Accident & Emergency departments indicate a rise in stab wounds, particularly among young men aged between 14 and 25.

One expert with street-level experience is convinced more young people are arming themselves with knives these days.

"We are seeing more and more stab wounds -- even five years ago, these were pretty rare. Young males in particular are carrying knives on a daily basis, and if they carry them, they use them," says John Heyworth, of the British Association for Accident and Emergency Medicine.

Those young men are often of school age, according to a survey by the Youth Justice Board this year. It found that of the crimes committed by young people, carrying a knife was the most common offence among children excluded from school (62 percent).

Cover artwork for Yazz's new CD

Regarding Britain’s new knife culture pop singer Yazz stated that "these knifing attacks seem to be just unsolicited -- just anger and rage in youth."

When asked about the solution the singer said, "I see the potential for Christian music to reach into the hearts of these young people. But the music has to get out there and it has to be made in a way that relates to them and yet is not compromising the Gospel of Christ.

She continued: "It must not be entertainment because the youth culture are entertained to the max. They have everything and they’re out of control. The power of Christian media is essential to reaching their hearts. When you become a Christian you are given the potential to see spiritually. Therefore, we have to see these youth as Jesus sees them. He sees them with the potential to be who He wants them to be. Without that spiritual insight you just see the suffering and the fear and the anger. I pray that music will be a part of the manifestation of anti-violence in this country."

Exactly 20 years ago pop singer Yazz had her first number one dance track "The only way is up." She had been a catwalk model and had, fairly quickly, risen to a kind of fame that others merely dream about.

Yazz was born in 1960, in Shepherds Bush, West London. Her father was Jamaican and her mother, English.

Yazz was recently back in the U. K. for concerts and she reflected that "before, violence was so gang-related or drug-related and usually out of poorer areas."

She remembers working in London's Soho district and dodging "drug addicts, prostitutes and pimps."

Her own life took a downturn when she realized that everything like fame and riches were empty prizes from a business that felt like they owned you.

It was in 1996 that she was recovering from a breakdown and agoraphobia.

While laying on her bed she randomly picked up a Bible and began reading it. A peace began to come over her that she had never experienced before. It gave her a totally new perspective on life and its purpose. She eventually moved to Spain to be with her husband and daughter.

It is here that, today, she works in a local Christian church and a charity that reaches out to alcoholics and drug addicts.

The complete interview with Yazz is the first program in a new film and TV series currently being produced called "Principles of Praise." Her website is at www.yazzmusic.co.uk.

Harvest Fields Commissioning International and its film and TV production arm, OLI Productions, is headlining key singers, songwriters and Praise and Worship leaders of this generation for the series.

It follows the success of The organization’s DVD and TV series "Principles of Leadership" which features interviews with leaders such as New York Times best-selling author Joyce Meyers, international evangelist and author Dr. Luis Palau, best-selling author Brother Andrew ("God’s Smuggler"), best-selling author Jackie Pullinger OBE ("Chasing the Dragon") and The "Vicar of Baghdad" Canon Andrew White.

Harvest Fields Commissioning International is a U.K. Registered Charity with the purpose of assisting in raising up and encouraging churches and leaders in 42 countries and on all 5 continents for work in churches, charities and other humanitarian assistance groups. Its websites are at: www.agapelive.net  and www.hfci.net.  

For further information or high-res photos contact:
Press Department info@agapelive.net  or info@hfci.net  

** Michael Ireland, Chief Correspondent of ANS, is an international British freelance journalist who was formerly a reporter with a London newspaper and has been a frequent contributor to UCB Europe, a British Christian radio station. Michael's involvement with ASSIST News Service is a sponsored ministry department -- Michael Ireland Media Missionary (MIMM) -- of ACT International at: Artists in Christian Testimony (ACT) International.