Children in North Yorkshire learn about the dangers of knife crime

Following a series of successful visits to schools in the county last month, North Yorkshire Police's Schools Liaison team have once again teamed up with award winning author Christina Gabbitas to deliver hard-hitting and impactful messages to children in North Yorkshire.

Last week, in support of the national campaign to tackle knife crime, Op Sceptre, children across Scarborough, York, Stokesley and Ripon received key input which covered topics such as knife crime, county lines and the dangers of taking drugs.

The schools visited were:

• Gladstone Road Primary - Scarborough
• Stokesley Primary Academy - Stokesley
• Holy Trinity, Ripon
• Brompton Hall, Brompton-by-Sawdon, Scarborough
• Westfield Primary School, Acomb, York

A video was played which showed a group of young people who get drawn into the dangerous world of drug dealing resulting in one of them being stabbed. The children then provided key messages form the video which Christina put into a poem. At the end of the session a “No more knives or County Lines” work booklet was handed to the children this includes a quiz, key messaging, and contact details for support networks.

The video can be found here No More Knives or County Lines - YouTube

Local PCSOs who are also members of the North Yorkshire Police Schools Liaison Team used the opportunity to build a relationship with the children, they were also on hand to help answer some of the many questions that they had following the session.

Sergeant Heidi Lewis of the Schools Liaison Team for North Yorkshire Police, said:

“Education at an early stage is crucial to steer children away from falling into a criminal lifestyle and becoming exploited.

“Some young people think it’s safe to carry a knife in case they need it for self-defence – but this could not be further from the truth. Any knife in the hands of anyone can cost lives and that’s what we hope the children we have engaged with this week have learned”.

“I would like to thank Christina for her time and invaluable help in delivering this key school input. North Yorkshire is one of the safest places in the country, however we will not become complacent, and we will continue to make sure we are doing all we can to protect children from the world of knife crime and criminal exploitation.”

Christina, who is also an Honorary Member of the NSPCC Council, added:

“I can’t emphasise enough how important it is for us to educate children at a young age about these issues and dangers.

“If we can get children to recognise the signs at an early age, we have a better chance to prevent them coming to harm.

“I am always so impressed with how engaged the children I speak to are. They are so keen to learn about these issues and because it’s done in a safe environment amongst peers, the children are very open and always ask a lot of questions.”

If anyone has any concerns of the safety of a child or suspects they might be being exploited by criminals, contact us on 101.