Publish date: 22 November 2024
Blackpo
Young people at the Blackpool-based Boys and Girls Club helped to design a series of posters that highlighted knife crime facts. It is hoped the co-produced posters will help educate young people about the dangers of carrying a knife and let them know where they can safely hand them over using ‘surrender bins’ across Blackpool.
Sally Oscar, an ED navigator at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals is often the first point of call for any young person presenting with a knife-related injury at the Emergency Department. This is classed as the most reachable, teachable moment to offer that one-to-one emotional support. Working alongside Youth Justice Nurses, Exploitation Nurses, and the Safeguarding Children’s Team at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals the Trust aims to ensure that young people are properly cared for and supported.
Sally also provides talks and practical sessions in schools and groups within the community, like to the group at the boys and girls club at Mereside with the aim of preventing knife crime. Sally commented on the recent knife crime campaign, “It is great to see young people involved in projects like this and we hope to see an increase in the number of knives surrendered at the appropriate bins. The awareness sessions we run for young people focus on not only what happens to the body when someone is stabbed but what to do if you are with someone who is involved in a knife crime.”
Lancashire’s Violence Reduction Network, Serious Violence Sergeant, Dan Whitaker, has been the lead from Lancashire Constabulary and commented, “These young people’s artwork shows that knife crime impacts everyone. We’re proud to support the project and help share their messages to work towards safer streets.”
Known as OP SCEPTRE, the campaign was launched earlier this month as part of a national initiative to reduce knife crime, for more information about knife surrender bins see the police website.
