Hi,  I am currently a student studying at high school. I am starting this petition with the hopes that more attention can be turned to a rapidly growing issue that affects thousands of young people each year; knife crime. It is estimated that 17,541 males in England and Wales carry a knife at the age of 14. The issue can’t be ignored any longer and needs to be addressed to the generation that is heavily involved; the current high school students.

London has the highest rates of knife crime with 169 offences for every 100,000 people living in the country’s capital. London currently has 8.9 million residents and using this number, it is estimated that in the last year there have been 15,000 knife attacks in this area alone. 41% of people caught for knife crime or possession of a blade are between the ages of 15 and 19, a further 9% are aged 10-14. This shows us how severe this crime epidemic is.

Therefore, I believe that all high schools in London should be required to teach their students about knife crime awareness. This is an issue that has affected all London boroughs and needs to be formally addressed with pupils. Schools can offer this in several different ways, meaning students are able to gain an understanding of the topic and how severe it is. This offers a way for students to find out what to do if they believe someone they know is involved with knife crime and will show them the punishment for possession of a blade as well as the legal action taken if this blade is used. Pupils will then begin to comprehend how dangerous actions involving knives can be.

This awareness means that students have a safe space to discuss issues that affect them in their everyday lives. It has become normal to hear about someone tragically losing their life to knife crime nearly every day, this shouldn’t be a normal occurrence. Knife crime took the lives of 21 teenagers in London last year, 21 people with their entire lives in front of them. By spreading awareness on the topic, it could be possible for this number to decrease. Surely, any chance of improvement at this stage should be seriously considered.

This vital education will help students in all aspects of their lives: awareness cannot harm them, the lack of awareness can. I urge you to sign this petition in order to start a movement for knife crime awareness, to help address a severe issue affecting teens across the capital.