Campaign aiming to sever youth links with knife crime

Published on Monday 5 July 2010 09:41

A MAJOR new campaign aimed at encouraging youths to stay away from knife crime by giving them something else to do is set to be launched in the Capital.

The 500,000 No Knives, Better Lives campaign will provide 11 to 17-year-olds in the north of the city with a range of "diversionary activities" and sports in a bid to prevent them from using a blade.

It comes after research showed that a third of all knife crime in the Capital happens in the north of the city. The research also points to alcohol and drug misuse as contributory factors in knife crime.

No Knives, Better Lives has been running in Inverclyde since June last year, and will be officially rolled out to North Edinburgh – including Inverleith, Leith, Leith Walk and the Forth ward – on 15 July.

It aims to make youngsters aware of the dangers and consequences of carrying a knife.

Councillor Paul Edie, community safety leader at the city council, said: "The No Knives, Better Lives campaign is a great initiative for the city as it sends out the message that this type of serious criminal behaviour will not be tolerated on our doorstep.

"The programme will also reach out to young people and peer groups to highlight the fact that carrying an offensive weapon is completely unacceptable."

Diversionary activities such as football, music and creative events will be on offer to secondary pupils in the area as part of the campaign.

Justice secretary Kenny MacAskill, who announced the roll-out of the national initiative, said: "We are working in partnership with the council, police, schools and young people in each area to create very local No Knives, Better Lives campaigns tailored to each community and supporting the good work they are already doing."

A social marketing campaign depicting the life-changing choice between "knife or life" that many young people face will get under way later in the year.

Councillor Edie added: "We will also be working with the wider community to reassure them that we are looking into the contributory factors which lead to these offences taking place."