On 19 February 2025, the government released new policies on the sale of knives to under 18s. This is a step in the right direction towards the prevention of stabbings against our young people. However, we question if such a ban goes far enough to stop a young person from carrying/using a weapon. Many of our young people genuinely feel scared for their lives and try to justify carrying a weapon to support their safety. We need to investigate the mindset of those who are prepared to carry and use a knife. How can we discourage a young person from arming themselves with a weapon? Should we be teaching conflict resolution in schools to help young people dissolve disputes without resorting to violence?
The Synergy Network has held meetings exploring the views of youth practitioners working directly with young people and held an event where young people were encouraged to share their experiences relating to trauma and knife crime. The consensus from these meetings is that we need to focus more on prevention and changing the mindset of young people. We need to do more by listening to and hearing views from our young people in addition to sales bans, knife bins and tougher sentences.
Our One Pledge; One Change campaign currently running in the lead-up to our Standing Together Weekend aims to engage everyone to consider how we can each take responsibility and collectively try to reduce knife crime.
Please get on board with our campaign and help us by sharing a video of how you propose to address these issues with your ONE PLEDGE; CHANGE ONE.