His comments - in a pre-recorded interview for BBC Radio 4 - were broadcast in the wake of the fatal stabbing of 18-year-old Robert Knox. "Does anyone, except Sir Al, believe that the feelings of victims come second to those of kids who carry knives?" the Daily Mirror asked.
The Daily Telegraph was also up in arms: "There is a good argument for dispensing with the services of Prof Aynsley-Green and his whole organisation, and using the money to fund more police officers on the street to try to ensure that youngsters stay within the law." Meanwhile, Times columnist Stephen Pollard wanted police to get "full powers to stop and search children". At the moment the courts "treat children found with knives with kid gloves", he wrote. Only a few, like The Independent, bucked the trend of knee-jerk reaction. "As unease mounts about knife crime, we must pause before reaching for instant responses such as increased stop and search powers and longer custodial sentences for teenagers," said its editorial.
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