Knife Crime Awareness Week is an annual week of advocacy to raise awareness, educate and take action to stop knife crime.
Knife crime has devastating consequences on families and communities and is ultimately preventable.
Prevention strategies
Strategies to prevent knife crime include:
- Educating children and young adults to give them the skills and knowledge to make informed decisions, so they can make the right choices when thinking about carrying a knife
- Raising awareness of risks and consequences through campaigns, social media and other forums
- Building trust between children, young adults and authorities by providing positive role models, community engagement and outreach programmes such as Detached Youth Work
- Encouraging reporting: it is crucial that everyone, including children and young adults, feel confident in reporting knife crime. This can be done by reporting incidents anonymously to Fearless, Crimestoppers or a trusted adult
- Supporting victims: ensuring victims receive the emotional support they need through counselling and advice after an incident
Knife crime resources and information
There are many sources of information and resources that you can use to raise awareness and educate people about knife crime:
- Knife Crime Awareness Week, Ben Kinsella Trust
- Free online parents and carers workshops about knife crime, Ben Kinsella Trust
- Knife crime awareness presentation, Ben Kinsella Trust
- Avon and Somerset Police – knife crime prevention and advice
- Avon and Somerset Police – week of action
- Fearless – knife crime education and resources
- The unseen effects of knife crime on Children – The Children’s Society
- Video – knife crime a new way forward, Avon & Somerset Police
- Surrender bins in B&NES
- Knife Crime Workbook for teachers and professionals – produced by Developing Health and Independence and Project 28
- The Wrap online platform - specialist information, self-help tools and professional support, by Developing Health and Independence
- Knife Crime and the new Serious Violence Duty
- Stand Against Violence
- Red Cross resources on knife crime
- Barnardos resources on knife crime
