Did you know?
Some people think carrying a knife protects you. what they don't realise is...
- It could cost you your life if your knife is used against you.
- If you get caught carrying a knife you could get four years in prison.
- A stab wound on any part of the body could be fatal.
If you know someone who is carrying a knife don't keep silent. Report it.
Call Hampshire Constabulary on 101 or report knife crime anonymously to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Carrying a knife doesn't protect you.
Think about it. if you carry a knife and you get into a fight you might be tempted to use your knife. You may have never intended using it but before you know it you've stabbed someone or your knife has been used against you.
Knives and the Law
Just by carrying a knife you could end up in court. Police can even come into your school and search you there. It is illegal to carry a knife and if you are caught you will be arrested.
The maximum prison sentence for carrying a knife is four years, but if you use the knife in a crime or to injure someone the penalities are a lot worse.
Don't be a victim!
If you feel you are in immediate danger from knife crime there are a number of steps you can take to protect yourself:
- Move away from the situation towards a public place (shop, house, garage, restaurant etc) as quickly as possible.
- Make as much noise as you can.
- Instead of carrying a knife, carry a personal alarm.
- Don't fight back.
Does your boyfriend, girlfriend, partner or someone in your family carry a knife?
If you have an argument could they turn it on you? If you are frightened that someone you know may harm you with a blade or you are being hurt by someone you love and don’t know what to do, there are lots of people and organisations that want to help and can help you.
If you need the police then always dial 999 in an emergency.
If you don’t feel ready to call police but want to talk to someone independent, why not contact an independent organisation like Women’s Aid, Men’s Advice Line, Broken Rainbow or the National Centre for Domestic Violence. Click on the below links for more information:
Forced marriages
If you are worried or in fear that you will be forced to marry someone against your will or someone will hurt you in the name of honour, you can get help from people who have been through similar experiences.
You can contact Karma Nirvana via the below website who will be able to offer advice and support.
Do you carry a knife? Do you worry that you may hurt someone with it, even though you love them? Are you hurting someone you are in a relationship with or someone in your family?
You can get help by using the respect website. Respect UK gives really important information and advice for men who want to stop hurting the people they love. Follow the link below.
Bitterne Park Secondary School
Check out the knife crime films produced by pupils at Bitterne Park Secondary, Southampton on YouTube.
Click here to watch the top three films.
Pupils were asked to produce a film to highlight the dangers of carrying a knife which can then be used to educate other young people across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
FAKE campaign
The FAKE (Firearms and Knife crime Education programme) has been running across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight since July 2007.
As part of the campaign, we are actively engaging with the community to reduce both gun and knife incidents and stop them from happening in the first place.
Since the campaign began the FAKE presentation has been delivered to over 50,000 young people, principally within secondary schools and other youth groups. This number increases weekly.
Almost 70% of all incidents that Hampshire Constabulary's firearms officers attend involve knives and imitation firearms. One hour of policing a firearms incident costs the equivalent of 27 hours of local beat policing.
Some of the guns that we seize from young people are so realistic that a firearms officer would not immediately be able to decide if they were real. Firearms officers have to treat every gun incident as if the weapon is a real one.
Our concern is that a young person will find themselves confronted by armed police.
Click here to read more about our FAKE campaign.
Click here to visit the Hampshire Constabulary Facebook page.
Click here to visit the It Doesnt Have to Happen Bebo page.
