Crime figures out today have shown a decrease in all areas of crime, with one notable exception. Televised Archery has been blamed for the alarming rise in ‘bow and arrow’ crime.
Bernard Hogan-Howe, Commissioner for the Metropolitan Police described the figures as disturbing but said he was taking measure to counter the rise. ‘We have set up a dedicated ‘Archery Response Unit’ who can deal with any incident where bow and arrows are present.’ he told reporters. ‘We are also launching Operation Bullseye which is aimed at targeting the ‘bow and arrow culture’’.
Reported incidents involving bow and arrows have included Burglary, Muggings at bow-point, and even an attempted bank robbery. The attempt to access the safe was unsuccessful because of the diligence of the counter staff. Sally Nugent, an employee at the branch told us, ‘the man came in and shouted at me to give him all the money, before saying he had a bow and arrow in his pocket. At first I was scared, but then I noticed it must have been a replica. I’m no expert but I do know that real arrow don’t have red suction cups on the end’
Although the recent increase in gangs taking up the ancient weapon has been blamed on the BBC’s coverage of archery at the Olympic Games, other factors are being taken into consideration. As with gun culture, films and music are said to set a bad example to easily influenced youth. Katniss Everdeen, ‘The Hunger Games’’ main character, is idolised by millions yet is often seen wielding a bow and arrow’ a leading sociologist told us. ‘Add to that the increased downloads of the William Tell Overture from iTunes, all signs are the youth of today are being bombarded with bad influences’
The problem is not just confined to London, with incidents and false alarms being reported all over the country. In Doncaster, a passenger plane was forced to make an emergency landing at Robin Hood airport, after a male was seen carrying the offence weapon on board. The aircraft was stopped on the runway and boarded by anti-terror police. After a brief struggle the male was detained at gun-point and led away for questioning. However the reaction of the police was described as over the top by the 12 year old boy’s parents
