Warning: This Blog Contains Hazy and Unreliable Memories of My Teenage Years, and some Jimmy Savile
We might be in for another hot summer. Last year, riots erupted across the UK following the deaths of school children in Southport. Sunderland was a particular flashpoint.
Just last week, clashes over asylum seekers in Epping — a sleepy London suburb — saw far-right thugs, bald and wired on cheap gack, scrapping with the police.
If you believe the newspapers, Britain is teetering on the edge of total law-and-order collapse. Social media paints an even worse picture — not just reporting violence but actively egging it on.
Knife crime is “out of control.” London is apparently a violent, squalid hellhole overrun by foreign gangs armed to the teeth. It’s easy to think young people are more violent, dangerous, and criminal than ever.
But here’s the problem: it’s a load of bollocks.
Summer of ’84: Mods, Scooters, and Violence
Let’s rewind to the summer of 1984. I’d just left Belmont Comprehensive and was about to start at a new school for sixth form.
I probably looked a lot like this:
I had a 50cc Vespa and hung around with a crew of lads with scooters — some mods, others just along for the ride. Those without scooters had 50cc bikes, with the legendary Fizzy 50 being the go-to choice for non-mods. These battered second-hand machines, with a dozen teenage owners before you, had that unmistakable high-pitched whine when you rode throttle wide open.
I lived out at Sherburn Hill, and most of that summer was spent riding around, hanging out, except for a week at Butlins in Ayr.
And you know what? It was violent. A lot more violent than now.
The threat of a good kicking for being in the wrong place on the wrong night was ever-present. Every small town and village had its own gang, older and nastier than me and my mates:
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East Durham Wrecking Crew
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Spennymoor New Breed
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Chilton Trojans
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Shotton Axe Men
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And any number of “Aggro Boys” or “Boot Boys”
Some pubs were no-go zones unless you were looking for a fight. Walking past the Buffalo Head in a parka was practically asking for a mass thumping. I was big enough — and lucky enough — to avoid a proper beating, though a few of my friends weren’t so lucky. One got battered just waiting for a lift outside the Rowing Club Disco.
Going to Roker Park for a match? You had to steer clear of the Station Skins and Seaburn Casuals. The names sound daft now, but the violence was very real.
Channel 4’s youth strand Network 9 aired a sensationalist segment on these same groups — watch closely and you’ll see a young Tony Blair desperately trying to jump on a moving bandwagon.
The Axe Men and Teenage Tribalism
As you entered East Durham on your scooter, you’d see a spray-painted sign declaring the territory of the Shotton Axe Men. I might know who cheekily changed it to “Shotton Tampax Men,” but I can’t reveal it — even now — for fear of reprisals.
No one fucks with the Axe Men.
After that summer, I moved schools and drifted from that gang. I found new friends and changed my tastes to fit in (while pretending I hadn’t). Still, I ended up in a ritual punch-off against a punk called Buzzard to determine who was the toughest at my new school.
Were We the Most Violent Generation?
We were a violent cohort — the most violent post-war generation.
Kids who started secondary school between the mid-70s and mid-80s were more criminal and violent than any group before or since.
Most crime is committed by people under 30. Once you hit that age, you either straighten out or get locked up for a long time. The crime graph is clear:
Someone committing their first offence after 30 is most likely a paedophile, which explains the frosty welcome I got in the reception wing at Durham Jail.
Violent crime rates in the UK follow the life arc of the 80s generation:
Offending peaked in our 20s, then declined as we hit our 30s. The murder rate peaked a couple of years later.
Why Were We So Violent?
It’s hard to pin down. Some of it was the political climate — the bitter violence of the miners’ strike, and a government happy to flex its muscle in pursuit of political aims. Northern Ireland was a constant backdrop of televised violence.
Some lads from my school ended up serving there. Many signed up willingly, but others were “encouraged.” A chat with the headmaster and the local sergeant could make a court appearance disappear — but only if you agreed to enlist. At the time, this felt normal. Now, it sounds like a press gang.
Falling Crime, Rising Fear
While violent crime has fallen, our perception of crime has gone the other way. The papers are full of lurid headlines — some true, most exaggerated.
Are we raising another violent cohort, another generation of knife-wielding youths?
The data says no. Not compared to my violent generation.
Overall crime is still falling. The UK murder rate remains low by international standards.
Knife crime is “at an all-time high,” but that’s because the Home Office only started tracking it separately in 2011 — meaning every year since is automatically a “record year.” The problem is real but nowhere near the levels of the Glasgow Razor Gangs or London Teddy Boys.
Knife Crime, Drugs, and Gentrification
Knife crime today is largely driven by the drugs trade, especially County Lines.
For years, the UK drug market was stable: plenty of customers, and police unable to dislodge gangs. But over the past decade, youth drug use has fallen. Between 2001 and 2010, it plummeted, and it’s declined further since — particularly for heroin and cocaine. Cannabis and “legal highs” have fallen less.
Deaths from drugs have risen, but that’s down to cuts in services and dodgy supply quality — not increased usage.
At the same time, gentrification is squeezing gangs out of their strongholds. Cities like London now have fewer deprived, chaotic neighbourhoods where gangs can hide. Rising property prices have compressed gang territories — and with fewer customers, they’re fighting harder for control.
Turns out, craft gin and artisanal bakeries are surprisingly effective anti-gang weapons.
Politicians, Populism, and Fear
London isn’t unique. In New York, Giuliani claimed zero-tolerance policing reduced crime, but in reality, demographics shifted as housing costs rose, pushing out the young, poor male population that drives crime stats.
So, while stabbings are horrific, the rise in knife crime may actually be the by-product of policy success — gangs under pressure.
I’m sceptical of the media’s hysteria about crime. Yes, the stories of young lives lost are heartbreaking. But the statistics don’t back up the idea of a new violent youth generation.
Politicians have always demonised youth culture — from drainpipe trousers and winkle pickers to hoodies and rap music. Young people today are more sober, more hard-working, and less criminal than we were.
Fewer scare stories, reversing cuts to children’s services (especially Sure Start), and toning down the rhetoric would help.
But let’s face it — politicians will never give up their populist nonsense.