Monday 20 May – Sunday 26 May 2024 marks Knife Crime Awareness Week.
The campaign is hosted by the Ben Kinsella Trust to shine a spotlight on the devastating ripple effects knife crime has on families and communities. It’s an annual week of advocacy to raise awareness, educate and take action to stop knife crime
This week, Humankind’s Community Diversion Service, which is funded by the Northumbria Violence Reduction Unit, will be raising awareness of the impacts of knife crime, and the work they are doing across the North East.
Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Susan Dungworth, said: “I fully support the #StopKnifeCrime initiative spearheaded by The Ben Kinsella Trust. We all must take responsibility and work together to prevent further devastation for families and communities impacted by knife crime.
“Throughout this awareness week, the Violence Reduction Unit is delivering crucial education to hundreds of young people in schools and community settings. Alongside a range of partners, we are ensuring additional support is available through our Community Diversion Service. This vital intervention sees us identifying young people vulnerable to serious violence, working with them to address their needs and change their behaviour, as well as providing wider support to their families.
“I want to make sure we are reaching young people before they ever consider picking up a knife, which is why it is all the more important that initiatives such as this exist. The more we continue to raise awareness, provide our young people with the knowledge and tools they need to stay safe and carry out a range of targeted activities, the more we can collectively tackle knife crime head-on.”
