Britain launches anti-knife campaign targeting young people

LONDON - A six-week campaign to reduce knife crime among young people was launched Friday by the Home Office, Britain's Interior Ministry.

The $2 million campaign uses real-life stories of young people who made the decision not to carry knives to highlight the consequences of carrying a knife and to inspire young people to pursue positive alternatives.

It will use advertising on social media and digital channels to target 10 to 21 year olds, with a poster campaign in English cities where knife crime is more prevalent.

The Home Office worked closely with knife crime victims' families to ensure their insights and expertise were reflected.

The launch comes just days after an official report to MPs in the House of Commons revealed that last year nearly 35,000 crimes, the highest number in seven years, were recorded in England and Wales where a knife or sharp instrument was used.

During the year there were 215 homicides in which knives or sharp instruments such as broken bottles were used as weapons.

The reported cited London as having the highest level of knife crimes in the country, with a rate of 137 crimes for each 100,000 of the population. There were over 12,000 knife crimes recorded in the British capital last year, a 24 percent rise over the previous year.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd said: "The emotional stories at the heart of the new Knife Free campaign bring home in powerful fashion just what a far-reaching impact it can have on a young person's life if they make the misguided decision to carry a knife."

Minister for Crime, Safeguarding and Vulnerability Victoria Atkins said: "This powerful new campaign will highlight the tragic consequences of carrying a knife and challenge the idea that young people are safer if they carry one."

Patrick Green from the charity the Ben Kinsella Trust, said: "We need to do more to help young people understand that carrying a knife doesn't solve anything, in fact all it does is to increase the likelihood that you will be imprisoned, seriously injured or murdered.

Introducing young people to the life stories of others who have faced the same challenges but have chosen to live knife free is a powerful way to help them make more positive choices."

Under British law it is an offence to carry a knife without good reasons.