Family of teenager fatally stabbed in Bournemouth join anti-knife campaign
A major campaign to educate young people on the dangers of knife crime launches across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
The family of a teenager who was fatally stabbed in Bournemouth last year have backed a campaign educating young people on the dangers of knife crime.
The Knife Crime Awareness campaign was launched in memory of Cameron Hamilton, 18, who died after an altercation on a night out last summer.
Supported by his mother Sarah Robinson and grandmother Tracy Jose, the campaign aims to empower parents and young people to have proactive conversations to reduce the risk of knives.
Tracy said: “The impacts of knife crime are very real as my family has sadly experienced first-hand, so a campaign such as this that gets young people engaging and talking about knife crime is so important for everyone.
“I would ask everyone to think twice before deciding to carry a knife which can have serious consequences for them, and potentially devastate other families like ours.
“Please don’t carry a knife – if there had not been one present on the 5th of August, Cam would still be alive and here with us today, and that’s what young people need to realise.”
The tragic death of Cameron Hamilton in August 2023 has not only changed the lives of his family and friends, but highlighted the dangers posed by young people carrying knives.
While Dorset has one of the lowest knife crime rates in the UK, Cameron’s death, and that of Tom Roberts back in March 2022 aged just 21, show there is still work to be done.
BCP Council already work alongside multiple partner agencies to tackle serious crime, including Dorset Police, to reduce serious violent crime across the three towns.
Councillor Kieron Wilson said: “Most young people don’t carry a knife, but this campaign is targeted at a younger demographic of 14–20-year-olds to deter this group from the outset and break the link between juvenile crime and adult offending.”