Wiltshire mum backing police knife campaign following son's stabbing
Plea for people to hand in their knives
Last updated 24th Nov 2021
A mum from Wiltshire whose son was stabbed in 2018 is backing the force's campaign to cut down on knife crime around the county.
Carol Tait's son Cameron was stabbed in the stomach in a car park in Calne when he was 21 during an argument.
Cameron was put into an induced coma for two weeks and then spent almost six months in hospital.
Although now recovered, he is still dealing with life changing injuries.
Carol wants every young person to be educated about the dangers of knife crime so no-one makes the same mistake as the person who stabbed her son did on that night in 2018.
"What happened to Cameron is with me every day and I wouldn't want anyone else, any other family to go through what we went through.
“Whenever I hear about a stabbing on the news, I immediately go back to that time Cameron was seriously injured.
"People, and young people in particular, need to know the huge damage a knife attack can cause. Cameron received a relatively small puncture wound, around an inch long, but this caused so much damage to his body. The pain he went through must have been awful.
“We need to teach our children from an early age about the dangers of knives. To press home the message that carrying a knife and using a knife can have massive repercussions; and, the effects ripple out to their family and friends and the family and friends of the offender. No-one escapes.
“I would like to see schools and colleges introduce something similar to the driving campaign that is run – where knife crime and the dangers of knives are talked about; perhaps hearing from a victim, a victim’s mum – like me – and even a reformed offender.”
The Op Sceptre knife crime awareness campaign and amnesty is running until 26th November with amnesty bins at 13 locations across the county.
This means anyone in possession of a knife is able to hand in their weapon without fear of prosecution.