The Home Office has recently launched a £1.5 million advertising campaign in hopes to reduce knife crime among young people. The ads that have already launched in England and Wales aim to grab people’s attention through the use of individual’s real cases and many have taken to the approach positively.
More specifically the campaign is just one part of the government’s upcoming serious violence strategy that has been put in place due to the number of fatal shootings and stabbings doubling in London since January compared with the same period in 2017. We will see the #knifefree adverts run on posters, TV, as well as social media for 6 weeks, with the pieces focusing on real stories of young people who made the decision not to carry knives and how it has positively changed their lives.
The chief executive of the Ben Kinsella Trust, which is named after the 16-year-old London boy stabbed in 2008, Patrick Green stated: “It is vitally important that we help young people understand the dangers associated with carrying a knife. A knife won’t protect you, it doesn’t give you status; harming or stabbing someone isn’t a trivial act.”
Adding: “We need to do more to help young people understand that carrying a knife doesn’t solve anything, in fact, all it does is increase the likelihood that you will be imprisoned, seriously injured or murdered.”
Finishing with: “Introducing young people to the life stories of others who have faced the same challenges but have chosen to live knife-free is a powerful way to help them make more positive choices.”
