RE your story Sentinel Thursday, July 9 (Star Tackles Knife Crime).

I would just like to say how nice it was to see the former decathlon gold medal winner, Daley Thompson, take an interest in knife crime. Anything that can stop knife crime has to be a good thing.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling said the Government war on knife crime had failed and there must be real deterrents. All very well Mr Grayling but you do not tell us what you would do to beat knife crime.

Convictions for carrying a knife have rocketed by 400 per cent in some parts of Britain over the last decade, but figures show only one knife thug has been jailed for the maximum four years.

While I applaud Daley Thompson for his stance against knife crime I feel his hands are tied behind his back.

Figures show last yea'r's knife crimes included 250 attempted murders and 7,500 cases of wounding with intent.

Time and time again we are promised ministers that they will get tough on crime, but for reasons better known to themselves they all fail to deliver.

What does it take to change the law so as to carry a knife carries the same sentence as carrying a gun, after all they both kill so why are they soft on people who carry knifes?

J M BURKE

Abbey Hulton