Dave Budd, a knife-maker who runs courses training Scouts, explained the new policy: “The series of high-profile fatal stabbings [has] highlighted a growing knife culture in the UK. I think it is safest to assume that knives of any sort should not be carried by anybody to a Scout meeting or camp, unless there is likely to be a specific need for one. In that case, they should be kept by the Scout leaders and handed out as required.”
That might address the perceived “knife culture” but, with all due respect, how about the culture of utter lunacy gripping England? I seriously doubt that whatever “knife culture” the Scouts are facing are seriously advanced with the appearance of Swiss army knives equipped with bottle screws and tiny saws.
Nevertheless, the Scouts insisted: “We believe that young people need more places to go after school and at weekends, where they can experience adventure without the threat of violence or bullying and the need to carry weapons. Scouting helps to prepare young people with valuable life skills, while keeping them safe by not carrying knives.”
There is still no data available on serial Swiss Army knife killers in England but there are reports, that after Jack the Ripper killed his victims, he was known to pick their teeth and file their nails with his Swiss Army knife.
During my brief stint as a cub scout leader, I never saw the Scout “I’ll Cut You Man” culture, but it might just be an English thing.
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