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Knife crime lessons should be mandatory - charity

Laura Foster
BBC News
Reporting fromMilton Keynes
Laura Foster/BBC Maya Joseph-Hussain is the chief executive of the Safety Centre in Milton Keynes. She has long, dark brown hair in tight curls and is wearing a pair of black glasses. She is looking directly at the camera. Behind her, out of focus, is a bush, a bicycle and a wall covered in graffiti. This photograph was taken on a fake street built inside the Safety Centre to teach children about hazards.Laura Foster/BBC
The Safety Centre's chief executive says knife crime is rising and that prevention is part of the solution

A charity is calling for all primary school children to be taught how to avoid getting involved in knife crime as part of the national curriculum.

Maya Joseph-Hussain, who is chief executive at the Safety Centre in Milton Keynes, said "every young child should have access to this education".

Knife crime prevention is discussed in schools but is not mandatory.

The government says it is reviewing how the issue is taught as part of a wider review into relationships, sex and health education (RSHE).

"There have been so many incidents where young people have tragically lost their lives," said Ms Joseph-Hussain.

"The sooner we equip them, the sooner we increase their chances of staying safe and leading safe and happy lives."

Laura Foster/BBC A group of 20 schoolchildren, all aged between 10 and 11, are sat on purple chairs at white desks. Some of them have their hands in the air as they look to get the attention of the course leader who is handing out bits of paper. Watching on is a teacher and two teaching assistants. They're all sat in a bright yellow room with grey carpet.Laura Foster/BBC
Knife crime prevention is taught to children aged nine and above at this centre in Milton Keynes

Staff at the Safety Centre began giving knife crime sessions to schoolchildren after noticing an increase in knife-enabled crimes.

The number of knife-enabled crimes was 4% higher in England and Wales in the year ending September 2024, compared with the previous year.

But Thames Valley Police - the local force for Buckinghamshire - says it has seen an 8% reduction in knife crime over the past year.

Trips to the Safety Centre see pupils learn how to remove themselves from difficult situations, about criminal responsibility and the concept of joint enterprise - where multiple people can be convicted of the same crime, even if they did not directly commit it.

Since 2022, the charity says more than 20,000 children and young people have attended a session.

Knife crime prevention is talked about in schools as part of RHSE.

But the National Education Union says the current system "does not allow for enough time for important matters to be sufficiently discussed and addressed, such as knife crime prevention".

It added that "these issues do not begin and end at the school gates" and has called on the government to do more.

The Department for Education says it is reviewing RHSE guidance to "make sure it remains relevant and protects children's well-being".

The results from that are set to be published in autumn 2025.

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