Knife crime initiative rolled out

Date: 5th August 2010
Category: Equal protection from violence

A campaign to make young people aware of the dangers and consequences of carrying a knife will be rolled out to Glasgow, Edinburgh and Clackmannanshire after a successful pilot.

No Knives, Better Lives has been running in Inverclyde since June 2009. Despite double the amount of police searches in the area, knife carrying went down 23 per cent during June 2009 to January 2010.

Incorporating youth diversionary activity, community engagement, social advertising and a structured programme in schools, No Knives, Better Lives is a multi-pronged campaign which aims to educate young people about the dangers of carrying a knife and the devastating personal consequences it can have on their future, as well as on their family and friends.

Starting this month No Knives, Better Lives will directly target young people in each of the new areas through tapping into a range of diversionary activities including football, music and creative events.

Later in the year, the campaign will see a local social marketing campaign, which depicts the life-changing choice between 'knife or life' that many young people face, targeted throughout the areas with work in local secondary schools kicking off after the October holidays.

• Find out more here.