Local Sergeant writes open letter to parents as part of knife crime awareness week

This week Wiltshire Police are focusing on knife crime in line with all national forces across the UK.

As part of our educational strand in fighting knife crime, Sergeant Gemma Rutter from Trowbridge, Bradford on Avon and Melksham has written to schools asking them to share an open letter in efforts to make the families of Trowbridge, Bradford on Avon and Melksham informed on what advice and support is out there if they think their child is at risk.

"Every year, police forces up and down the country specifically focus weeks of action against knife crime. As your Neighbourhood Policing Team, we thought this would be a great opportunity to reach out to our families either residing in or receiving child education in our area to offer some advice and guidance on knife crime.

"It is a sad reality that children are carrying knives across the UK and not just in urban settings. Although in Wiltshire, we are statistically much safer in comparison to other areas, we still can’t ignore the influences on our children which may tempt them to carry a knife.

"Wiltshire Police work with many external agencies with the aim of reducing knife carrying through education, intervention and deterrence. If a child is found to be in possession of a knife, we will link all these aspects together, including prosecution if this is proportionate.

"If you are concerned that your child may be carrying a knife when they are out, speak to them if you feel safe to do so. If your child feels safe talking to you, they may explain why they have chosen to carry a knife, and then those issues can be addressed.

"Often, children carry knives to protect themselves – they think everybody else must be carrying a knife, but this simply is not true; it remains that most young people in the UK do not carry knives.

"Other knife carriers think that their knife will offer them protection – not true. Statistics show that if you carry a knife, then you are the one most likely to get hurt. You can be seen as threatening, and you may also get hurt by your own weapon.

"Some young people think that they will be respected or feared for carrying a knife. Again, not true. All it does is put you, your friends and family in danger.

"The reality of knife carrying is as follows:

• It is illegal
• It increases your risk of getting hurt
• It increases the risk of harm to your friends and family; it can cause great distress to friends and family also
• Police are allowed to stop and search people including young people if they believe they are carrying a weapon
• If you are found guilty of carrying a weapon by the courts, you may not be able to go to university or college. You may also be prevented from travelling on holiday to certain countries, such as America
• You could go to prison for 4 years- if you kill somebody, you have lost their life and yours.

"We know that walking away can be hard. But it can save lives.

"If you think your child may be at risk of carrying a knife on them, you can get help. Contact us at [email protected] if you need to speak to somebody. If you don’t want to talk to the police here are some good charities and organisations that can help:

• Fearless- www.crimestoppers-uk.org/fearless

A site where you can get non-judgemental advice and report concerns anonymously.

• The Ben Kinsella Trust- www.benkinsella.org.uk

Offers education to young people around knife carrying, debunks knife myths and promotes strengthening peer values.

• Action For Children- www.actionforchildren.org.uk

Has a parental section on how to talk to young people around knife crime.

• Live Safe- www.livesafe.org.uk

"Offers parents practical advice on looking at for danger signs your child may be carrying a knife.

"There is a lot of information and advice out there for how to keep our children safe. Wiltshire Police also provide school inputs but if you have you questions around this topic or any other in regards to keeping your child safe, please contact us."

You can find more information on our website: Stop knife crime | Wiltshire Police