Every single Milton Keynes schoolchild should be fully educated about knife crime dangers by the time they reach the age of 13, say councillors

All schoolchildren in Milton Keynes should be fully educated about the dangers of carrying knives, say local Conservative councillors.

Research shows that by the age of 12 or 13, when children reach Year 8, they are four times more likely to believe that carrying a knife protects them.

City Conservatives last year asked for special funds in the council’s budget to fund knife crime prevention engagement sessions for all Year 8 students in Milton Keynes. They also wanted Year 5 – nine and 10 year olds - students to benefit from the sessions.

Their budget amendment was rejected by the Labour and Lib Dem Progressive Alliance at the time.

But this week the Tories are trying again and proposing the same motion at the full council’s budget-setting meeting,

“Knife crime continues to be a problem across Milton Keynes and an issue that is raised frequently by residents. Conservative councillors believe it is essential to keep pushing for this integral youth engagement work,” said Conservative group leader Cllr David Hopkins.

“Research by the Ben Kinsella Trust shows that once a young person reaches year 8, they are four times more likely to believe carrying a knife protects them compared to children in Year 6. It is integral that we are proactively engaging directly with these year groups.”

Cllr Hopkins said the Conservatives recognise the work achieved by the Knife Angel visit last year and the initiatives driven by police chief Matthew Barber. These include a pilot scheme providing interventions for young people arrested under Operation Deter.

However, they believe there is more that the City Council could be doing to combat this serious issue.

“The best way to prevent knife crime is through education,” said Cllr Hopkins. “By providing young people with the knowledge and skills to make informed decisions, we can empower them to make the right choices when it comes to carrying a knife”.

Knife crime is addressed under the council’s Community Safety Strategy. Over the past three years, the council has invested £350,000 in knife crime prevention activity which has been overseen by the partnership. This has included education provision, specialist posts to work with children who are the most vulnerable, and intervention designed to engage children in meaningful age-appropriate activities.