时代周刊:缩减警力举步维艰 伦敦谋杀率飙升

London's murder rate spikes¹ as police struggle with declining resources

警察缩减资源举步维艰， 伦敦谋杀率飙升

MORE THAN 50 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN KILLED in London since the start of 2018, with stabbing being the main cause of death.

自2018年初以来，伦敦已有50多人被杀，主要死因为刺死。

For the first time in modern history, the city's murder rate in the months of February and March exceeded that of New York City, which has a similar population.

今年2月到3月，自现代史以来，纽约的谋杀率首次超过了与其人口相当的纽约。

KNIFE-CRIME SURGES

持刀犯罪案激增

Murder rates in London had been experiencing a steady decline until 2015,

2015年前，伦敦的谋杀率一直在稳步下降，

when 25 more people were killed than had been during the previous year.

但2015年的死亡人数比前一年又增加了25人。

Since then, waves of murders and knife attacks—including six separate stabbings,

从那以后，一起接一起的谋杀和持刀伤人案——4月5日90分钟的时间里就连续发生了6起捅人事件，

one with a 13-year-old victim, during a 90-minute period on April 5—have continued to alarm the British capital.

其中一起的受害者中还有一名13岁的少年——就不断地给英国的这座首都城市敲响了警钟。

In London, young men from minority communities have been disproportionately affected².

而影响最为严重的又数少数群体中的年轻人。

SHIFTING THE BLAME

推卸责任

Central London was brought to a standstill on April 7 as thousands of young Brits gathered to protest the epidemic³ of violence.

4月7日，英国数千名年轻人聚集在伦敦市中心，抗议暴力泛滥，以致于伦敦市中心陷入了瘫痪。

As the hashtags #BikeStormz and#BikesUpKnivesDown trended on Twitter,

“BikeStormz”和“BikesUpKnivesDown”这两个标签在推特上逐渐壮大，

the demonstrators made a stand against knife crime while fighting the stereotype⁴ of “dangerous bike-riding gangs.”

示威者们也忙着一边反抗“危险的骑自行车团伙”这一成见，一边抗争持刀犯罪行为。

Meanwhile, since the center-right Conservative Party came to power in 2015,

与此同时，自2015年中右翼保守党执政以来，

the number of police officers has fallen by more than 20,000,

伦敦的警力已经缩减了2万余人，

and a leaked document from February suggested that government cuts had “likely contributed” to the rise in serious violent crime.

2月份泄露的一份文件显示，政府削减警力的举措“可能”助长了严重暴力犯罪案件的上升。

London Mayor Sadiq Khan described the cuts as “not sustainable” for the city.

伦敦市长萨迪克·汗称，削减警力在伦敦“并非长久之计”。

Social media have also been blamed for glamorizing criminality.

社交媒体也被指责存在美化犯罪行为的问题。

WHAT NEXT

接下来

London's Metropolitan⁵ Police has deployed⁶ 300 additional officers to the areas most affected by the attacks.

伦敦警察厅已经向受危害最严重的地区增派了300名警力。

Some politicians have advocated for an increased use of stop-and-search powers; others say those tactics damage trust in the police.

一些政治家主张提高警察盘查的权力；其他人则表示，这些策略会有损人们对警方的信任。

And on April 9, the government unveiled a $57 million “Serious Violence” strategy,

4月9日，政府公布了一项5700万美元的“严重暴力”应对战略，

which will focus on early intervention⁷, tougher law enforcement and a crackdown on city gangs delivering heroin⁸ and crack cocaine⁹ to rural towns.

该计划将关注重点放在了早期干预、更严厉的执法以及打击向农村城镇运送海洛因和强效可卡因的城市犯罪团伙等方面。

It did not mention the decline in police resources.

但没有提到警察资源的减少。

1 spikes   

n.穗( spike的名词复数 )；跑鞋；（防滑）鞋钉；尖状物v.加烈酒于( spike的第三人称单数 )；偷偷地给某人的饮料加入（更多）酒精（ 或药物）；把尖状物钉入；打乱某人的计划

参考例句：

• a row of iron spikes on a wall 墙头的一排尖铁
• There is a row of spikes on top of the prison wall to prevent the prisoners escaping. 监狱墙头装有一排尖钉，以防犯人逃跑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

3 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

4 stereotype   

n.固定的形象，陈规，老套，旧框框

参考例句：

• He's my stereotype of a schoolteacher.他是我心目中的典型教师。
• There's always been a stereotype about successful businessmen.人们对于成功商人一直都有一种固定印象。

5 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。

6 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

7 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

8 heroin   

n.海洛因

参考例句：

• Customs have made their biggest ever seizure of heroin.海关查获了有史以来最大的一批海洛因。
• Heroin has been smuggled out by sea.海洛因已从海上偷运出境。

9 cocaine   

n.可卡因，古柯碱（用作局部麻醉剂）

参考例句：

• That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
• Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。