Analysis Of Death In Your Pocket By Overland

The article “Death in your pocket”, written by Chief Commissioner of Police Simon Overland, discusses the issue of the ever increasing violence on our streets, specifically knife-related, and the dangers involved with youths arming themselves with knives. Overland stresses in a concerned and pleading tone that the public must come to their senses and stop this senseless violence, he also indicates the importance of police involvement and that what they do is essential in preventing future violence. This article is aimed at arousing deep concern in parents about the safety of their children on the streets and encouraging them to talk to their children about this issue.

The article starts off emphasising the severity of this issue with an appeal to fear and insecurity, with the line “One punch to the head is enough to kill or irreparably injure”. This statement pressures the reader to feel that solutions are needed urgently so they must agree with the argument. It also persuades the reader to believe that the writer has their best interests at heart by wanting to protect them and influences the parents to feel worried and fearful about their children’s safety. This is also used throughout the article with statements such as “people should be able to walk our streets safely” and “I firmly believe this is about protecting the rights of the broader community”.
These statements, such as”58 children aged between 10 and 14”, “a further 287 teenagers were also arrested” and “839 homicides in England and Wales in 2005”, manipulates the reader to view the writers argument as more convincing because it appears to have reliable support and they therefore feel obligated to agree with the writers contention that violence on our streets is becoming a major