Resources for schools: info to help mark Knife Crime Awareness Week

Accident Prevention for Babies and Children, Child and Adult Health, Health, Education, News for workplaces

Why should your school mark Knife Crime Awareness Week?

Knife crime is, sadly, increasing.

According to the Ben Kinsella Trust, an anti-knife crime charity, “Knife crime offences in England and Wales have risen by 50% in the 10 years from 2012 to 2022, and this trend is only increasing.”

Sadly, whilst preparing this blog, we learned of the reports of a stabbing at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman in Carmarthenshire. The attack left two teachers and a pupil in hospital. Fortunately, their injuries were not life-threatening.

Unfortunately, a 13-year-old boy involved in a separate attack in Hainault has lost his life.

Raising awareness of knife crime and teaching pupils how to give first aid can help to save lives. In this blog, we provide statistics and resources to get you started.

When is Knife Crime Awareness Week?

Knife Crime Awareness Week takes place from the 20th to the 26th of May 2024.

Are young people more at risk of being fatally stabbed?

Unfortunately, yes.

According to a recent article on the Ben Kinsella Trust website, figures released in February by the Office for National Statistics “…confirm that, despite a decrease in homicides in the 13-19 age group, teenagers remain over twice as likely to be fatally stabbed than they were ten years ago.

“Last year 42 young lives were lost unnecessarily due to stabbings. This figure marks a significant increase from a decade ago, when in 2013 the number of young people murdered with a knife or sharp instrument stood at 20.”

Is knife crime one of the biggest threats to young people’s lives?

Yes, almost four fifths of homicides among teenage victims involve the use of a knife or a sharp instrument.

This is double the overall figure for victims of all ages.

How many young people receive sentences for knife crimes in the UK?

In the year ending March 2023, there were just over 19,000 cautions and convictions made for possession of a knife or offensive weapon.

Juveniles (aged 10-17) were the offenders in around 18% of cases (House of Commons Research Report).

How many young people carry a knife?

In a survey relating to the year ending March 2018, 6.5% of 10–15-year-olds knew someone who carried a knife, as did a similar percentage (5.7%) of 16–29-year-olds (House of Commons Research Report).

Less than 1% of respondents of both age groups said they carried a knife.

Which areas of the UK are most and least affected by knife crime?

Regional knife crime statistics can be surprising. Gwent police force area had the greatest % increase in rates of knife crime per 100,000 head of population for 2022/23 compared to 2021/22 (House of Commons Research Report).

The police force areas with the highest overall rates were:

West Midlands (178 per 100,000) – up 16%
Cleveland (159 per 100,000) – up 18%
Metropolitan Police (145 per 100,000) – up 16%

North Yorkshire recorded the lowest rate of 35 offences per 100,000 population.

When are pupils most at risk of being stabbed?

According to a large study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) in 2018, children under 16 are at the highest risk of being stabbed going home from school.

The researchers commented, “The period immediately after school accounts for a large proportion of [stabbing] incidents in children, and these predominantly occur close to home and school.”

Are primary schools immune to the risk of knife crime?

Unfortunately, no.

An article in the Independent in 2019 based on FOI requests revealed that “More than 1,000 children were caught carrying knives in schools last year – with the youngest aged just four.”

More recently, a Freedom of Information (FOI) response by Met Police revealed that the age of the youngest person involved in knife crime in schools for the period 1/8/2012 to 24/08/2022 was just ten.

Where can we find resources to help us educate pupils about knife crime?

The Ben Kinsella Trust

The Ben Kinsella Trust website includes resources for adults and parents/carers. The Trust was founded in memory of Ben Kinsella, a 16-year-old from Islington who was killed in 2008. Resources for teachers are tailored by key stage and include worksheets, activities and films.

Information for children includes online lessons, videos and a quiz in a Knife-wise app.

The trust also delivers workshops in Barking & Dagenham, Islington and Nottingham.

You can find lots of ideas to mark Knife Crime Awareness Week including pupil activities on the Ben Kinsella Trust website. Resources available in 2023 included:

A knife crime awareness assembly
Ideas for daily activities
True stories

At the time of writing, the Trust hasn’t yet released resources for Knife Crime Awareness Week 2024.

The Knife Angel

Made of 100,000 blades, The Knife Angel really does hammer home the scale of the knife crime problem in the UK.

This imposing sculpture is continuing its tour of the UK with future visits planned in Taunton, Weston-super-Mare, Sunderland and Southend-on-Sea.

Real-life stories

It’s hard to ignore the voices of those who have been involved in knife crime.

We recommend looking at:

The Knife Crime Stories section of the Ben Kinsella Trust website.
The story of Natalie Queiroz who survived being stabbed two dozen times whilst pregnant
How a stabbing left Martin Luther King Jr. ‘a sneeze away from death’

Laws and statistics

In addition to the stats included this blog, you can find more info on the following reputable sites:

The UK Government website outlines the basic laws on selling, buying and carrying a knife or weapon
The House of Commons Knife Crime Briefing includes lots of statistics and useful maps
The Ben Kinsella Trust has a statistics section

How can we ensure pupils are able to give first aid in the event of a stabbing?

Our ‘Save A Mate’ courses are suitable for children and young people aged 10-18. You can choose the duration of the course (from two to 18 hours) and the first aid topics you would like included. Our Save A Mate courses are suitable for pupils enrolled in the DofE award programme.

“Thank you for providing a fantastic Save a Mate training course. Mark was extremely enthusiastic and managed to engage with all our students. He answered all their questions, adapted to their individual needs and delivered a very comprehensive session… the students all gave very positive feedback.”

How can we give teachers the confidence to give first aid in the event of a stabbing?

You can ensure your colleagues are ready and able to save lives by booking them onto one of our in-person or online first aid courses. We include free first aid for stab wounds training in every course.

In the meantime, our ‘How do I help someone who’s been stabbed?’ blog will give them some valuable pointers.