Manchester anti-knife campaign rolled out across the country
Last updated 6th Sep 2018
It's hoped a new anti- knife campaign aimed at kids will help them think twice about carrying a weapon.
Professional boxer Stuart Maddox is involved in the scheme which sends booklets out to schools on issues like carrying weapons and bullying.
He says it's about making kids think about the longer term effects.
“It’s like it’s become a fashion accessory to carry a knife.
“Knives end up taking lives and it’s not just the life of the person, that’s been killed, it’s their family members, their lives will change forever.
“The actual perpetrator who has done the stabbing, their lives will change forever.
“I was bullied, I was brought up in children’s homes, I was picked on for that, I’d just fight back and ended up getting in worse trouble.
“So I’m in a position where I’ve experienced the pain and suffering and how not to go about it, so hopefully I can help change some lives."
He also wanted to thank the brother of Preston knife victim John-Jo Highton, who helped their campaign.
Byron told his story in the knife crime booklet about how the death of his brother affected him, in the hope it will stop others picking up a weapon.
The scheme’s run by a company called Safety Guide who are based in Ashton-under-Lyne.
They drop off booklets and give talks at schools across the country for free- which is funded by local businesses.
Director Matthew Ralphs told us why they decided to expand into anti- knife work.
“The statistics are frightening, I think last year there was 40,000 knife related crime incidents in the UK and there’s nearly a child dying every day from a knife related crime.
“We want to hopefully improve those statistics, so the bullying’s reduced in that school, so less children are carrying knives and the community’s safer.”
You can see more about their work here