Visit to local school marks the start of new 'Knife Harm' Campaign

A month-long campaign to educate young people about the danger of knife crime is being backed by Uttlesford District Council.

The Essex Violence and Vulnerability Unit (VVU) launched the 'Knife Harm' campaign on Monday (27 February). The VVU brings together partners from across the county, including the council, who all share the same goal of reducing the incidents of knife crime.

The campaign supports parents in having difficult conversations with their children around the issue of knife harm and is based on research and evidence from conversations with young people and parents.  There are four films featuring the stories of young people who have been arrested for possession of a knife which can be watched on the campaign website www.essexvvu.co.uk/knives.

In addition, the Uttlesford Community Safety Partnership has funded six new bleed control packs for the district.  The kits can be used to treat any type of injury where the victim is bleeding heavily.  They contain gloves, scissors, a foil blanket, a mouthguard for giving CPR, a trauma dressing, a chest seal, a pack bandage, and a tourniquet.

One kit has been provided for each of the district's secondary schools, and two for the police stations in Great Dunmow and Saffron Walden.  Each kit will be registered with The East of England Ambulance Service, which can direct a caller to the nearest kit in the event of an emergency.

Members of Uttlesford Community Safety Partnership, including Essex Police and Uttlesford District Council, attended Forest Hall School in Stansted on Monday morning alongside Julie Taylor, who established the Liam Taylor Legacy in memory of her grandson Liam who was fatally stabbed in Writtle in January 2020.  Julie gave a presentation to the school where she told her family's devastating story.  Every secondary school in the district will be visited by Julie.

Students were shown the knife arch, a walk-through metal detector which picks up if someone is carrying a weapon, and demonstrated how it works to get them thinking about the consequences of carrying a knife.

Councillor Maggie Sutton, Portfolio Holder for Communities, Health, Youth, Public Safety, Emergency Planning and liaison with the Police and Fire & Rescue Service, said "Essex is a safe county and Uttlesford is a safe district, but one knife crime is one too many; and we want to support parents to feel informed when having difficult conversations with their children. "

"There are some great resources available to help you open dialogue with young people, please talk to your children about the devastating consequences of carrying a knife."

28 February 2023