Anti-violence message on the school curriculum
Lothian and Borders Police officers from the North and Leith area are delivering an anti-violence educational package to local secondary schools. The package includes an instructive DVD, which seeks to raise awareness of personal safety issues, including the carrying of knives, to enable young people to make safe choices.
The DVD forms part of the Lothian and Borders Police commitment to the Safer Scotland anti-violence campaign, which was launched on 03 April 2006 and sees all the Scottish police forces joining together to tackle violence on our streets.
The educational package has been prepared in close consultation with the City of Edinburgh Education Liaison Officer, Audrey Fairgrieve, whose post is funded through the Council Youth Crime Strategy, "No Offence". Craigroyston Community High School, Broughton High School, Royal High School, Leith Academy and Trinity Academy are all supporting the initiative.
The fear of knife crime has a significant impact on the quality of life for the residents of the North & Leith local policing area. The carrying of knives is a major factor in violent crime and tackling the issue remains a key priority for the police.Inspector Davy Campbell of Lothian and Borders Police, said:
"The Safer Scotland campaign in the North and Leith area will raise awareness of the danger associated with the carrying of knives, challenge the acceptability of carrying knives amongst youths and publicise the forthcoming knife amnesty. In addition to the inputs to schools, the local police Youth Action Teams will visit youth centres and clubs to deliver the anti-violence message."
Inspector Campbell is keen to stress that, "Education will be complemented by plain clothes and high profile enforcement activities. In partnership with The City of Edinburgh Council Anti Social Behaviour Division, police officers will identify and patrol knife crime hot spots and, where grounds exist, exercise statutory powers of stop and search. Police officers from the local Safer Communities Unit and Youth Action Team will also utilise the City of Edinburgh Council Mobile CCTV Unit and hand held video cameras in an effort to deter and detect offenders. "The first phase of the Safer Scotland campaign saw 131 outstanding judicial warrants executed for crimes of violence across the Capital, with individuals wanted in connection with 1 attempt murder, 6 serious assaults, 103 minor assaults and 21 offences involving the possession of knives or offensive weapons all now arrested. This amounted to 17% of the total number of warrants effected across Scotland during the period.
In the past year a 16% fall in violent crime was recorded across Edinburgh - the lowest level for three years.
Information about knife crime can be reported anonymously to Crimestoppers on freephone 0800 555111.
For more information please contact Sergeant Colin Gagen at St Leonard’s Police Station on 0131-662-5069
