Students in Milton Keynes have their say over how police tackle knife crime
During a session run by Thames Valley Police, students were given a say over the efficiency of anti-knife crime messages
During a session organised by Thames Valley Police, students at Milton Keynes College were given the opportunity to share their concerns around knife crime.
The session gave students a chance to interact with police, who, in turn, drew on their feedback to build a targeted response for younger age groups.
"It's an opportunity for us to hear from them about what are their perceptions, experiences, and ideas..."
Tim Wiseman, Senior Communications Manager at Thames Valley Violence Reduction Unit, said: "We take advantage of these opportunities to engage with young people, talk to them about the educational messages that we need them to hear and the dangers around knife crime."
"It's an opportunity for us to hear from them about what are their perceptions, experiences, and ideas as to how we can better reach young people and change their behaviours to keep everyone safe."
With knife crime often involving people under the age of 25, it was essential for police to understand how best to approach teenagers and educate them on the dangers of it.
The interactive session forms part of this week's Operation Sceptre, which focuses police efforts on tackling knife crime.
Teenagers who attended the session spoke of their fear of knife crime, which they believe to be everywhere around them.
"Thinking about inflicting that type of pain on someone would be enough to stop me from doing it..."
Greatest Hits Radio spoke to three of those students: Amina, Angel and Matty.
All three admitted to watching out for crime every single day, just like they look out for cars when crossing the road.
Amina said: "You have that fear in you because you know you have siblings and a family, and it can be one of your family members."
Both Amina and Angel spoke of the reasons they believe to stand behind some of the violence inflicted by knives.
Amina said: "Some people don't have any remorse and they don't care, and there's a lot of young children and teens being killed because of knife crime."
"Thinking about inflicting that type of pain on someone would be enough to stop me from doing it, but some people are put into situations where they can't think of anything else to get out of it", added Angel.
All teenagers were given a say over the police's approach to knife violence, in turn, helping the force better address key messages to youngsters.