What Police Told Hundreds of St Ives Teens About Knife Crime

Get caught with a knife in a public place and you can be arrested, charged and left with a criminal record. Do it more than once and a prison sentence stops being a risk and starts being the outcome. That was the message police took into St Ives, where hundreds of young people sat through an hour of straight talk about what carrying a blade actually means.

Police recently spoke to young people in St Ives about the dangers of knife crime, in a bid to raise awareness around the risks of carrying one.

Hundreds of students, aged 12 to 16, joined the hour-long interactive assemblies. Officers covered the age of criminal responsibility, the laws on buying and carrying knives, and the consequences of being found in possession of one.

PC Colin Stirling, a youth officer working across the county, delivered the sessions.

He said: “Knife crime is not a major problem in Devon and Cornwall, but we recognise the absolute importance of educational and prevention work like this.

“If from these visits we are able to encourage young people to make safe decisions and deter them from carrying a knife now or in the future, that’s a win.”

What the law actually says

The age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales is 10.

If you are found with a knife in a public place, you can be arrested and charged, and you could end up with a criminal record. It is illegal for knife retailers to sell to anyone under 18.

For an adult carrying a knife or weapon illegally, the maximum penalty is four years in prison, an unlimited fine, or both. Get convicted of carrying a knife or weapon illegally more than once and a prison sentence follows.

What to do if you are worried about someone

If you have information or concerns about someone carrying a knife, you can report it to Devon & Cornwall Police online at dc.police.uk, or to Crimestoppers UK on 0800 555111. Your information could help save a life.

Guidance on the basic laws around knives, banned knives and weapons, and the legitimate reasons for carrying one, is on the Government website at www.gov.uk/buying-carrying-knives.

Part of a wider push

The St Ives sessions took place on 19 May during Sceptre, the national knife crime week of intensification. The week of action is built around educating people and raising wider awareness of knives and knife crime.

It also sits within the prevention work run by Neighbourhood Policing teams across the county. The week of 15 to 19 June marks neighbourhood policing week, which recognises the contribution of neighbourhood officers, police community support officers (PCSOs) and volunteers.