Officers use VR headsets to promote anti-knife education for #DitchTheBlade

Officers have used VR headsets in schools across Staffordshire as part of our #DitchTheBlade campaign promoting anti-knife education in schools.

The campaign, which has been running this week (17 November) has seen officers visit a number of schools across the county.

So far this year, around 500 year seven students have participated in the three-day programme, which has involved them wearing VR headsets to make a number of decisions linked to knife carrying.

The aim of the sessions is to show the young people the unintended consequences of carrying a knife and the risks it exposes them to – from a criminal record, to serious injury, or even worse.

The headsets, provided by our partners in the Youth Offending Service, enable the children to make a series of individual decisions that then lead to particular outcomes.

Officers then discuss the impact of these decisions and the reality of their choices in a classroom-based discussion.

The scheme follows a survey conducted last year, which revealed that a number of children felt that they should carry a knife for protection, when statistics show that doing so dramatically increases the risk of serious injury, escalation of violence, and related prosecution.

Schools are selected for the programme by local policing teams and are open to children aged over 10 years old.

PC Lisa Smallwood, a Staffordshire Police officer based within Stoke-on-Trent Youth Justice Support Services, said: “We have a responsibility to educate and empower young people in our city to make good choices.

“To enable us to do that, we have adapted the way we deliver this important message – using the digital world to make it far more accessible to them.

“The way the young people can interact and engage with the virtual reality makes such a difference in their understanding, and the feedback we have from the young people who take part tells us this.

“The whole reason we do this work is to reduce the number of children and young people carrying knives and help to prevent the number of knife-related incidents in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire.”

PCSO Emma Lownds, of our Stoke south local policing team, who has been running the sessions in Bentilee, said: “The educational aspect of the campaign is so important as it means that we are getting to engage with students, teachers and the community before any offending takes place.

“We know that there is significant peer pressure out there for young people to consider carrying a knife, so we want to get in there and relieve that pressure by showing children what types of consequences they could face if they make the wrong decision.

“We want all of our young people to feel safe, to make good choices and to speak to us if they have any concerns, and this scheme is enabling us to do just that.

“It is vital that children know that carrying a knife is not normal behaviour and you risk not only being sentenced to up to four years in prison, but becoming a victim of crime, as well as having your future employment opportunities impacted.”

Councillor Duncan Walker, cabinet member for safe and resilient communities at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “We’re proud to have supported this innovative project, which is helping to educate young people about the real-life consequences of carrying a knife.

“By using immersive technology, the campaign brings those choices to life in a powerful and memorable way – helping to keep our young people and communities safer. It’s another example of how partnership working is making a real difference across Stoke-on-Trent. This initiative is also testament to the fantastic and vital work PCSOs do in our communities.”

Anyone who is concerned about a young person they know, would like to find out more about the support services available, or find their nearest knife bank location, visit: https://www.staffordshire.police.uk/ditchtheblade .