Your child and knives
These pages offer practical advice for parents and carers about knife crime and what you can do to reduce the likelihood of a child carrying a knife. We aim to give some pointers on what to look for, how to raise the subject of knives and who to contact if you need more help.
Kids face all sorts of pressures and it may be that your child is in contact with friends who carry knives. The chances are your child has talked about knives with friends or heard a story about a kid who carried a knife. Whilst most young people do not carry knives, it is still a conversation worth having with your child.
How you can act against knife crime
You have a role to play in helping your child make the right choice on knife carrying. If there is one person your child will listen to, it’s you. They respect you more than you think. As part of this campaign we talked to a lot of young people about knives. To give you an idea of some of the issues young people face, below is a real-life case study. Ian, 16, talks of his hopes for the future and how the love and respect he has for his mum has guided him.
Statistics on young people and knife crime
- Nearly a third of children in the UK have been affected by gun and knife crime. Source: NCH/Action for Children 2008.
- One in five 16 year-old boys admits to having attacked someone and intended to hurt them seriously with a knife. Source: National Youth Agency 2006.
- 63% of young people surveyed believe image is directly linked to gun and knife crime; 61% think gun and knife crime is about revenge and reprisals; and 63% believe peer pressure is a main reason for gun and knife crime. Source: NCH/Action for Children 2008.
- The most commonly given reason for carrying a knife is ‘for protection'. Other reasons include ‘in case there's a fight' and ‘for use in crimes': Source: Offending, Crime and Justice Survey 2005.
Case Study
'When my mum sits down and speaks to me, even if I don’t tell her stuff, it makes me think.'
I am seventeen next month and I ask myself, if things keep going this way, where will I be in a few years time? What will happen to me? I will be dead.
I have had a gun pointed at me, blades pulled on me and mates have been killed on the street. You feel it’s not safe if you are not carrying – people don’t understand, it’s not a choice, it’s a way of life in the area we live in.
I was in the cells for the second time and things changed for me - it was seeing the pain on my mum’s face. The worst thing you can do to your mum is let her see you in the cells.
Your mum is always there, you can talk to her – we have fights, we argue – but we will never say we hate each other. It’s the love my mum has for me that has inspired me. If she can make it legit, why can’t I?
I have started working with a construction company I’m on a training course that will take me through to being an apprentice.
I still have my brothers [friends] and they look out for me but I don’t want any part of the bad stuff anymore.
Mums need to take time, one to one with their kid – without going off on one and shouting. A mum should be like ‘I am not here to fight you, I can help’. Try to get the kid on a course or show them there are other choices and ways to make it legit. When my mum sits down and speaks to me, even if I don’t tell her stuff, it helps make me think... think twice about getting into that stuff.
