UK Defence Secretary, Penny Mordaunt, has announced that young people at risk of falling into a life of knife crime may benefit from being put through military schools.
In a speech to military leaders, Miss Mordaunt said that "the Army's ethos" should be incorporated into UK schools in an effort to instil discipline and curb gang violence. Moreover, the Defence Secretary made clear that she intends to oversee a government summit that will try to bring together new solutions for combating gang violence, particularly in London.
READ MORE: Tories Face 'EXTINCTION' if Brexit Delayed, Boris Johnson Warns
"At a time of rising knife crime and prevalent gang culture in some parts of the UK, the Army's ethos can make a real difference to young people. It can offer hope," Miss Mordaunt said at the UK's annual army conference.
Britain's first ever female Defence Secretary said she hopes to see the British army play a more active role in the "social mobility agenda."
Part of that plan, Mordaunt said, would be to bring together Military Preparation colleges — educational establishments in the UK that allegedly help young people excluded from mainstream education — with charity groups that seek to steer young people away from gang violence.
"Defence has so much to offer, in our armed forces and our cadet units, but also in the fantastic organisations that sit in our communities alongside us," Miss Mordaunt said.
"I have been so struck in particular how Military Preparation colleges have enthused those who other education establishments fail to inspire. They have encouraged study and physical fitness, self-confidence and self-worth, a sense of duty and service. And they have given some youngsters options where they had none. I believe it is time to use the skills and lesson learned at these colleges and elsewhere in the army to address this national blight of gangs and weapons on our streets," she added.