Suffolk Police say "nobody needs to carry a knife, it is unacceptable"
Suffolk Police continue their efforts to reduce the rates of knife crime as part of Operation Sceptre.
The national week of action to tackle knife crime is continuing in Suffolk as part of Operation Sceptre.
Police have begun engagement with schools, colleges and businesses alongside the wider community, which will go along with the work they are doing to target habitual offenders and arrest people they believe carry weapons in public.
Vicky McParland is the neighbourhood and partnership inspector for Suffolk Police. She says while the rate of knife crime in the county is not high, it is important to keep it that way: "It's not serious in scale but it is serious from the point of view that it has a massive impact on the community.
"It doesn't matter if someone says they are carrying a knife for self-defence. They will be prosecuted and sent to jail, which will have serious consequences for their educational prospects, job opportunities and all aspects of their future lives."
Young people form a large part of the total number of knife crime offenders.
Ms McParland says families and peers must play an active part in trying to deter youths from a life of crime: "What we really want is everyone to come together. Be it a parent, a cousin, a friend or a school teacher, if something's not right with a young person, start that conversation about the impact of their actions, raise awareness and take them away from potentially being in a harmful situation."
Knife crime also has a lasting impact on its victims. Ms McParland says: "Bottom line, the use of a knife could kill someone, or cause life-threatening or life-limiting injuries. For a parent to lose their child is the worst thing. To lose an adult to knife crime, anyone for that matter is terrible."
For those people who think it is necessary to have a blade for their own safety, she has the following advice: "Nobody needs to carry a knife. It is unacceptable. What you need to do is get yourself put of the situation that has convinced you that you need protection. Find someone you can turn to, a social worker, a teacher, a doctor or a police officer.
"Don't be a statistic, don't be a victim and above all don't become a perpetrator."