Youngsters across South Yorkshire urged to 'put down their weapons for good'
Anti-knife crime campaigner Anthony Olasinde has been visiting local schools & colleges in recent weeks to reiterate the message
An anti-knife crime campaigner in South Yorkshire insists there's 'always an alternative' to carrying a weapon.
Sheffield man Anthony Olaseinde has been putting on art exhibitions around the topic in schools & colleges across the region recently, as well as setting up weapon amnesty bins.
He's keen for more youngsters to realise the risks outweigh the benefits:
"We all want to feel safe and young people want to feel safe as well.
"It's just unfortunate that youngsters feel that carrying a knife will bring them safety, but in fact, it puts them more at risk.
"People are up to three times more likely to get injured with their own weapon if they decide to carry one.
"One split second or decision can alter your entire life, as well as the people who care about you and the lives of other people.
"A lot of the time, these factors aren't taken into account.
"We next to put resources and funding into the next generation coming through, so that we can educate them about the dangers.
"Hopefully then, we'll see a reduction in knife crime."
Anthony is calling on those who do carry a weapon to ask themselves one thing in particular:
"When you feel yourself feeling threatened, scared or anxious, you need to be asking yourself 'is this worth it?'
"There's a consequence for most actions, and if people ask themselves if it's all worth it, more often than not they'll come to the conclusion that it isn't.
"Hopefully that deters people from picking up a knife and potentially ending someone's life."