The Not the One campaign is tackling knife crime in south Wales, using trusted adults to provoke discussions on the issue of knife crime inside and outside the classroom. The campaign is led by South Wales Police and the Wales Violence Prevention Unit, and is aimed at educating 11 to 16-year-olds in south Wales about the dangers of carrying knives.
The campaign comes from the fact that about one out of 100 young people carry a knife, urging people not to “be the one”. It aims to encourage young people to make “the right informed choices to change their own lives for the better”. Many of those who carry knives have been recruited into so-called county lines gangs and have been targeted because of their vulnerability.
Knife crime in Wales rose slightly in 2023 compared with a year earlier, with 1,626 serious offences involving a knife or sharp instrument, accounting for 4% of all serious offences. Although an increase since before 2019, the rate in Wales is well below the national average – there were 52 offences per 100,000, compared with 89 per 100,000 across England and Wales.
Statistics show that the Not the One campaign had contributed to knife crime among young people in the region “plummeting”, pointing to a drop in the number of young people being admitted to hospital for assault or knife-related injuries. Police officers would conduct speeches in schools on the issue of knife crime, but “the feedback was that the engagement didn’t really make a difference”.
The initiative therefore provides material for these adults to intervene if they suspect a young person could be moving towards criminality and gangs. “We’re empowering those adults who hold the power and relevance over young people to use that to save a life,” says Supt Esyr Jones from South Wales Police
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More