England took a wrong turn. The evidence is so glaring obvious that I'm sure most of them, at some level, realize it as well:

In May this year, the Met launched Operation Blunt 2, another high-profile initiative to tackle knife crime – again using special stop and search powers in high-risk areas and airport-style metal detectors. The home secretary, Jacqui Smith, announced a £5m package to tackle violent crime. Since then, 27,000 people have been searched, 1,200 arrested and 500 knives seized. Of those arrested, 95% have since been charged with weapons offences, the Met said.

Uncle has more evidence.

The problem is, even with the overwhelming evidence, they have too much invested in the decision. It's too psychologically uncomfortable to admit they were wrong. It takes a great deal of character strength to admit you were wrong when you have invested 100's of millions (billions?) of pounds and who knows how many lives lost in a scheme that was counter productive to your stated goal. They don't have the strength of character to do that. Very few people would. It's particularly difficult when you have social support for your conviction. There will be more and more proselyting for this failed belief system until they hit a very firm and undeniable dead end. That will likely be a exceedingly repressive police state. Getting themselves out of that will not be easy or pretty.

I'm so glad we managed to avoid that path into the abyss.