School children across Medway have benefited from a visit from Kent Police’s specialist teams as part of the national knife crime enforcement and awareness campaign.
Officers visited several primary and secondary schools as part of Operation Sceptre, speaking to more than 600 young people about the dangers of violent crime and to help them make better life choices.
They delivered workshops and assemblies which included advice and information to prevent young people being drawn into crime. Officers worked with local schools to tackle the culture around carrying knives and those who think doing so is acceptable.
This safe environment enabled open and honest discussions with young people and gave officers an opportunity to highlight that carrying a knife for protection doesn’t make you safer, it is more likely that if you carry a knife, you will either get hurt or be arrested.
The week of action, which is co-ordinated by the National Police Chief’s Council, is aimed at raising awareness of knife crime. It also provides a snapshot of the efforts police forces are continuously engaged with to tackle knife crime.
Police Constable Corrin Parker from the Child Centred Policing Team said:
‘A priority for Kent Police is to keep children safe and as a team we focus on the welfare of vulnerable young people.
‘It is really important for us to be able to engage early and have their trust and confidence and prevent them being drawn into carrying or being associated with knives.
‘Our officers also work tirelessly with our partners to safeguard children and ensure gangs cannot take a foothold in Kent and are largely successful in doing so.’