Schoolkids given hour-long lessons about carrying knives in a bid to prevent blade deaths
Crime Minister Victoria Atkins has revealed 50,000 teachers in England had been given lesson plans ahead of the summer holidays
SCHOOLKIDS are being given a crash course in knife safety in a desperate bid to tackle the explosion in stabbing across the country.
Crime Minister Victoria Atkins last night revealed 50,000 teachers in England had been given lesson plans ahead of the summer holidays.
The bespoke hour-long lessons aimed at 11- to 16 year-olds centre on challenging the myths and talking about the consequences of carrying a blade.
Home Office insiders said a key part of the lesson was to help teenagers resist peer pressure and understand the “dangers about social media”.
The move follows another spate of fatal stabbings in London this weekend.
And it comes ahead of the third meeting of Home Secretary Sajid Javid’s Serious Violence Taskforce later this morning.
Care Minister Victoria Atkins said: “The summer holidays can pose additional dangers to young people, which is why we are determined to do everything we can to keep them safe and give them the tools and resilience they need to enjoy the summer break.
“We need everyone to work together to tackle the rise in serious violence and I thank every teacher who takes the time in their busy schedule to deliver these vital lessons to their students.”
Sajid Javid launched a crackdown on street crime last month - revealing to The Sun that he was the victim of a moped mugging in north London. And he admitted being anxious about his teenage children being out on the streets.
Shock figures in May revealed knife crime in London has soared by 20 per cent over the past three years. But stabbings in Hertfordshire, Hampshire and Warwickshire have more than doubled.
most read in politics
At least 51 people have been killed by a knife in London since the beginning of the year. A girl aged 17 was fatally stabbed in Camberwell on Thursday.
And a man in his late 40s was stabbed in Peckham in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Over the weekend the relative of a 22 year old man fighting for his life after being stabbed in broad daylight in south London said knife attacks were now “normal” in London.
The devastated family member said: “This is London now- it’s getting out of hand now.”