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| Schools in England to give extra lessons on dangers of knives | Schools in England to give extra lessons on dangers of knives |
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| Pupils in schools in England are to be given additional lessons before the summer holidays warning them of the dangers of carrying knives. | Pupils in schools in England are to be given additional lessons before the summer holidays warning them of the dangers of carrying knives. |
| Children at risk of knife crime are known to be vulnerable during the long summer break, especially if they have time on their hands and, with the schools shut, have no safe space. Campaigners say that, due to government cuts to youth services, there is also a shortage of activities for young people during the six-week holiday. | Children at risk of knife crime are known to be vulnerable during the long summer break, especially if they have time on their hands and, with the schools shut, have no safe space. Campaigners say that, due to government cuts to youth services, there is also a shortage of activities for young people during the six-week holiday. |
| The new hour-long sessions, intended for pupils aged from 11 to 16, will attempt to challenge the myths surrounding knife possession. Real-life case studies will be used to help youngsters resist the pressure to carry a weapon. such as the story of Dean, a teenager who was arrested for carrying a knife but then turned his life around after getting help from a local support centre. | The new hour-long sessions, intended for pupils aged from 11 to 16, will attempt to challenge the myths surrounding knife possession. Real-life case studies will be used to help youngsters resist the pressure to carry a weapon. such as the story of Dean, a teenager who was arrested for carrying a knife but then turned his life around after getting help from a local support centre. |
| The lessons, which have been drawn up by the Home Office in collaboration with teachers and the Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) Association, build on existing school curriculum information on knife crime, which was first introduced last year. | The lessons, which have been drawn up by the Home Office in collaboration with teachers and the Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) Association, build on existing school curriculum information on knife crime, which was first introduced last year. |
| Pressure has been mounting on schools to help tackle the recent rise in knife crime among young people. Between March 2017 and March 2018, there were 285 killings using a knife or sharp instrument in England and Wales – the highest number since Home Office records began in 1946. The number has risen four years in a row after a long-term decline. | Pressure has been mounting on schools to help tackle the recent rise in knife crime among young people. Between March 2017 and March 2018, there were 285 killings using a knife or sharp instrument in England and Wales – the highest number since Home Office records began in 1946. The number has risen four years in a row after a long-term decline. |
| Victoria Atkins, minister for crime, safeguarding and vulnerability, said: “Early intervention is a key part of our serious violence strategy, and it’s vital that we give young people the tools and resilience to keep themselves safe over the summer holidays.” | Victoria Atkins, minister for crime, safeguarding and vulnerability, said: “Early intervention is a key part of our serious violence strategy, and it’s vital that we give young people the tools and resilience to keep themselves safe over the summer holidays.” |
| The youth bus giving teenagers a path out of crime | Irena Barker | The youth bus giving teenagers a path out of crime | Irena Barker |
| The St Giles Trust SOS project works with young people exposed to, or at risk of, violence and exploitation by gangs. One of its members, Pablo, said the summer holiday period was a particularly risky time for vulnerable youngsters. | The St Giles Trust SOS project works with young people exposed to, or at risk of, violence and exploitation by gangs. One of its members, Pablo, said the summer holiday period was a particularly risky time for vulnerable youngsters. |
| He added: “If you’ve got a lot more time on your hands and a lack of direction, that can make a young person more vulnerable. In the summer holidays young people will be outside, they will be exposed to a lot more influences from older gang members who are looking for the most vulnerable people to groom, recruit and exploit.” | He added: “If you’ve got a lot more time on your hands and a lack of direction, that can make a young person more vulnerable. In the summer holidays young people will be outside, they will be exposed to a lot more influences from older gang members who are looking for the most vulnerable people to groom, recruit and exploit.” |
| He said young people needed signposting to positive alternative activities to keep them engaged and in a safe space during the long summer break, but because of austerity cuts there were fewer activities available to keep them out of trouble. | He said young people needed signposting to positive alternative activities to keep them engaged and in a safe space during the long summer break, but because of austerity cuts there were fewer activities available to keep them out of trouble. |
| Police chiefs have described the recent spate of knife crime as ‘a national emergency’. In the first two months of 2019 there were 17 homicides in London alone, where 35% of all knife crimes are committed. | |
| The number of NHS England admissions among people aged 10-19 with knife wounds has risen 60% in five years, surpassing 1,000 last year. | |
| The number of knife and offensive weapon offences in England and Wales have risen to their highest level for nearly a decade, with the number of cases dealt with by the criminal justice system up by more than a third since 2015. | |
| Figures on sentences handed out for such crimes, published by the Ministry of Justice, showed there were 22,041 knife and weapon offences formally dealt with by the criminal justice system in the year ending March 2019. This is the highest rate since 2010, when the number was 23,667. | |
| In the year ending March 2019, 37% of knife and offensive weapon offences resulted in an immediate custodial sentence, compared with 22% in 2009, when the data was first published. The average length of the custodial sentences rose to the longest in a decade, from 5.5 months to 8.1 months. | |
| The MoJ figures revealed that the number of juvenile offenders convicted or cautioned for possession or threats using a knife or offensive weapon increased by almost half (48%) between the year ending March 2015 and the year ending March 2019. | |
| The increase in adult offenders over the same period was smaller, at 31%. However, adult offenders still accounted for 74% of the total increase in cautions and convictions received for those offences in that period. | |
| In March 2019 chancellor, Philip Hammond, handed an extra £100m to police forces in England and Wales after a spate of fatal stabbings led to a renewed focus on rising knife crime and police resources. | |
| In the same month more than 10,000 knives were seized and 1,372 suspects arrested during a week-long national knife crime crackdown. Officers carried out 3,771 weapons searches, during which 342 knives were found. Another 10,215 were handed in as part of amnesties. | |
| A new Offensive Weapons Act was passed in May 2019, making it illegal to possess dangerous weapons including knuckledusters, zombie knives and death star knives. It also made it a criminal offence to dispatch bladed products sold online without verifying the buyer is over 18. | |
| Last month, the all-party parliamentary group on knife crime revealed data from more than 100 councils showing cuts to youth services of up to 91%, and claimed that areas that had seen the larger increases in knife crime had suffered the largest cuts to spending on young people. | Last month, the all-party parliamentary group on knife crime revealed data from more than 100 councils showing cuts to youth services of up to 91%, and claimed that areas that had seen the larger increases in knife crime had suffered the largest cuts to spending on young people. |
| Jonathan Baggaley, chief executive of the PSHE Association, said: “These new materials are designed to challenge inaccurate perceptions about knife crime, help young people develop the confidence to resist pressure to carry knives, and recognise positive role models.” | Jonathan Baggaley, chief executive of the PSHE Association, said: “These new materials are designed to challenge inaccurate perceptions about knife crime, help young people develop the confidence to resist pressure to carry knives, and recognise positive role models.” |
| The lessons have been sent to 20,000 PSHE teachers. The existing teaching materials, which were first introduced in July last year, were downloaded more than 14,000 times by schools. | The lessons have been sent to 20,000 PSHE teachers. The existing teaching materials, which were first introduced in July last year, were downloaded more than 14,000 times by schools. |
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