Last year saw a huge increase in the number of acid attacks taking place in London. A decade ago it was very rare to hear or see a report of an acid attack in the UK. Now, data shows that Britain has the worst record in the developed world for assaults using acids such as bleach and drain cleaner. There is legislation plans to further restrict the sale of corrosive substances — but why are these horrific attacks on the rise?

Early last year, there were reports of acid attacks happening in the suburbs just outside London. From a 17-year-old throwing industrial drain cleaner over five teenagers at a train station to chemicals being thrown at a kid’s football game. Even between school children, one of them as young as 12.

Zoe Streat’s Story

Zoe Streat was celebrating her birthday at mangle nightclub and was one of 22 clubbers injured in the attack. She was burned on the neck, stomach, legs and feet. Zoe’s friend Sophie who was with her at the time of the attack was also left with burns to the face.

London is the acid attack capital of the UK but it’s the east London borough Newham with the highest number of cases. Of the 1800 attacks reported since 2010, over 400 of those happened in Newham alone. The rate of acid attacks in Newham were almost triple than any other borough with Barking and Dagenham following in second.

Many acid attacks appear to be gang-related, which explains the soaring number of cases in small areas of major boroughs. Although it has also been said that many attacks have been labelled as a hate crime.

Darvinder Kaur

Darv moved to Newham 3 years ago, she shares her experiences on what it is like to live in the borough.

Dr. Simon Harding, A Criminology and Gang Expert said:

“Acid was first used 200 years ago, most likely in Scotland during the industrial revolution, it was known to cause damage. It had fallen out of public continuous until 5-6 years ago and gangs have adapted to it.”

Criminologists believe gang members are swapping guns and knives for acid as it is much harder to police — but its impact on victims can be truly devastating. If you attack someone with a knife it is seen as attempted murder, but if you attack someone with acid it is seen as GBH (grievous bodily harm) even though acid can cause just as much damage.

There is a reason why acid is increasingly becoming a weapon of choice. The new wave of chemical assaults in Britain are being carried out by young men on other young men.

If people want to get hold of acid they can and will very easily. Disappointingly, the more police crackdown on knives and guns, the more common these chemicals will be used as a method of settling disputes and spreading fear. With the increased crackdown, young offenders are using chemicals as they have advantages. It can be carried in a soft drink bottle without raising suspicion. It is cheap and easy to get hold of and the main reason is that it is legal to possess. Sulphuric acid in the form of drain cleaner, can be bought for £1 in any DIY store. But crucially, acid is a weapon with an unimaginable impact.

Jaf Shah

Jaf Shah is the executive director of Acid Survivors Trust International (ASTI), a charity that seeks to end acid violence.

“The primary motive of an acid attack is not to kill, but to leave its mark on an opponent – to disfigure someone for everyone to see. That’s why the face is often the target”

Despite suffering such horrific injuries, most victims of acid attacks do not seek justice, for fear of revenge. According to stats released by the Met Police, three-quarters of police investigations into acid attacks are dropped due to victims being unwilling to name the perpetrators or press charges.

Sophie Newton’s Story

The name of this person has been changed to protect her identity. Sophie is a survivor of an acid attack, she never came forward to police as she was scared of her attacker.

Supporters such as Jaf Shah say much stricter enforcements should be put in place to control the sale of these strong acids. A licensing system should be thought about ensuring that the details of people buying these products are recorded. However, it is all well and good talking about what can be done but is anything actually being put in place to stop these assaults?

“Acid is becoming a preferred weapon for criminals,” Stephen Timms, the MP for Newham

Timms did speak in Parliament to call on the government to act quickly in aid to stop these acid attacks. According to Home Office, the government is looking into suggestions as part of the wide-ranging review announced by Home Secretary Amber Rudd. But – when asked there was no guarantee on when the review would be decided, or when its measures would be put in place. Some of these suggestions are:

• Banning the sale of corrosive substances to under 18’s
• Acid will have the same consequences as knife possession
• If caught you could be imprisoned up to 4 years

However, I feel that there are steps that authorities could take right now such as:

• Training police officers to better recognise corrosive liquids during a routine stop and search
• Most importantly making sure that the magistrates court understands the severity of the crime and hand out more appropriate sentencing.

There has been small change made but not enough as Shopkeepers in the meantime have stopped selling bleach and corrosive substances to kids in a bid to stop the lethal attacks. Police in London have been given 1000 acid crime response kits to help any victims burned with acid. Officers are also due to get extra medical advice and protective clothing.

I feel that police still do not know or understand the true extent and nature of acid attacks in London. I think the police are right in thinking it’s about education, it’s about teaching kids that violence isn’t the answer and that you don’t have to pick up a bottle of acid to protect yourself on the streets or to solve your problems, but weather that message gets through to people is another story.

Is there any way to stop an epidemic of acid attacks? A recent petition to restrict the sale of acid has gone viral, but the government have yet to create new laws targeting this crime. Until something is done we will keep reading about people disfiguring each other in horrifying ways, as it just becomes one more disturbing aspect of living in the UK.