Wiltshire mum backs police knife campaign following son's stabbing
There's a fresh plea for residents to hand in their weapons
A mum from Wiltshire, whose son was attacked in 2018, is backing a police 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, during an argument, at the age of 21.
The victim was put into an induced coma for two weeks and subsequently spent almost six months in hospital.
Although now recovered, he is still dealing with life changing injuries.
'The pain he went through must have been awful'
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 on that fateful night three years ago.
"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," she said.
'The effects ripple out to their family and friends'
The Op Sceptre knife crime awareness campaign is running until 26th November, with amnesty bins at 13 locations across Wiltshire.
This means anyone possessing a knife can hand in their weapon, without fear of prosecution.
Carol added: "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".