Knife crime is a serious issue that affects individuals, families, and communities. Most young people will never be involved in knife crime, but it’s important to know how to stay safe, make positive choices, and support your friends. Why This Matters Carrying a knife does not protect you — it increases your risk of harm. Even having a knife “for protection” is illegal and can lead to serious consequences. Your safety and wellbeing are always the number one priority. Stay Safe – Smart Choices ✔️ Walk away from trouble If you feel unsafe, move away calmly and go somewhere public or towards trusted adults. ✔️ Stick with friends There’s safety in numbers — avoid walking alone, especially at night or in unfamiliar areas. ✔️ Think before acting A single decision can have a lasting impact on your future — stay in control. ✔️ Speak to someone you trust If you’re worried about your safety, or someone you know is involved with weapons, talk to a: Parent or guardian / Teacher or mentor / School safeguarding lead / Youth worker / Police officer If You Feel Worried You are never alone. Asking for help is strong, not weak. If you’re concerned about yourself or someone else, it’s important to speak up. In an emergency, always call 999. Remember Carrying a knife puts you, your friends, and your future at risk. Your best protection is smart decisions, awareness, and seeking support.
Advice for parent and carers
What are the signs to look out for?
When someone becomes involved with knife crime or drugs they often change their behaviour. As a parent or carer, it is important to know what to look for. Common warning signals may indicate a young person is involved in something untoward, such as if they:
become withdrawn from family and school
change their behaviour and/or are skipping school
have lost interest in hobbies and old friends, and now hang around with a new group, staying out late
they’re vague about where they’re going or where they’ve been
become secretive and defensive easily, particularly about what’s in their bag and might even have told you that they need to carry a knife for protection
take kitchen knives from home, hiding them in their bag or coat.
What are the consequences?
More often than not, people carry knives or weapons because they think other people are and that the knife or weapon will provide protection. However, statistics show that 99 per cent of young people don’t carry knives and carrying a knife means you’re more likely to end up getting hurt. It could mean an argument escalating to a point of life or death.
Please explain to your child that the consequences of carrying a knife include:
Being arrested – police can stop and search someone if they believe a weapon is being carried
Prosecution – regardless of whether your child says it was for their own protection or they were carrying it for someone else
Prison – sentences of up to four years are given for possession of a knife OR if you stab someone and they die then a life sentence means 25 years inside
A criminal record – this can stop them getting in to college, university, getting a job or travelling to countries like the USA or Australia
Death – they could get seriously injured or even killed
Stay safe. Look out for each other. Your life, your choices, your future.
Staffordshire Police have received reports of individuals attempting to gain access to the Church on Rodgers Street. Please be advised that the building is currently unsafe and anyone entering the property may be putting themselves at significant risk of harm.
Parents and guardians are encouraged to remain aware of their children’s whereabouts and to speak to them about the dangers of entering vacant or unsafe buildings.
If you witness anyone attempting to damage the property or gain entry please report it by calling 999.
Empty properties can quickly attract anti-social behaviour (ASB), affecting not just the building but the wider neighbourhood. Evidence across the UK shows that vacant, poorly managed buildings are more likely to experience vandalism, fly-tipping, trespassing and other nuisance activity. Even one neglected property can increase local complaints and reduce how safe residents feel.
Empty buildings also signal neglect, which can encourage further disorder — often referred to as the “broken windows” effect. In contrast, occupied and well-maintained properties act as a deterrent, helping to prevent problems before they start.
One effective solution is Property Guardianship. Carefully vetted individuals live or work in vacant buildings under temporary agreements, keeping them secure, occupied and maintained. Their presence provides natural surveillance, helping to reduce unauthorised access and ASB.
How you can help
Through Neighbourhood Watch’s partnership with Ad Hoc Property Management, members can now raise concerns about empty properties in their area. Reporting a vacant building is a simple step that can help:
Reduce anti-social behaviour and nuisance activity
Prevent vandalism, arson and illegal occupation
Improve community safety and confidence
Support faster action from property owners
If you notice a vacant building that may be causing issues, you can complete a short form on the Neighbourhood Watch website.
Where appropriate, the property owner will be contacted to explore options for securing and managing the building — helping to create safer, more settled neighbourhoods for everyone.
Any income received by Neighbourhood Watch through this partnership will be used to support our work tackling the impact of anti-social behaviour across England and Wales.
Is anti-social behaviour in your community impacting your mental health?
ASB is an incident that falls short of a crime, where the behaviour of an individual or group causes or is likely to cause:harassment, alarm or distress to any person, not of the same householdanother party to feel personally threateneda public nuisance or detrimental impact upon the environmenta detrimental effect upon the quality of life of an individual or the community as a whole
The Police, Local Authorities, housing associations and other partners all work together to support people who feel unsafe in their own neighbourhoods.
ASB Case Review
The ASB Case Review (previously known as the Community Trigger) is a powerful tool which allows victims to request action if they have reported multiple incidences of ASB but are unhappy with the response they received.
The review gives victims and communities the right to request a review of their case where a specific threshold is met. Applications will be reviewed by an independently chaired panel who will make recommendations for problem-solving the issue using the expertise of partner agencies.
To find out more about Case Reviews and how to apply for one, visit: ASB Case Review.
Community Remedy
Community Remedy is designed to give victims of low-level crime and ASB a greater say in how offenders should be dealt with. It allows Police and relevant partners to deal with low-level crime and manage offenders within the community, in consultation with the victim.
Police officers and PCSOs will apply Community Remedies on a case-by-case basis using their professional judgment and discretion within a framework. The officer should ensure the victim understands the purpose of Community Remedy and knows they can choose not to be involved, however the final decision rests with the officer.
More information on Community Remedies can be found on our website here.
ASB Harmony
Harmony provides a range of free, tailored and confidential services for victims in Staffordshire, including emotional support to help victims rebuild their confidence and independence, and practical support such as navigating legal issues, improving home security and dealing with housing providers.
You do not need to have reported an incident to the Police to receive support from Harmony. To find out more, visit: ASB Harmony.
Topics to be discussed by Staffordshire Commissioner Ben Adams and Acting Chief Constable Becky Riggs at a public meeting on Thursday (14 May) will include improvements in contact, keeping victims informed, and the impact of targeted, high-visibility Police patrols in reducing crime.
During the Police Public Performance Meeting, which will be broadcast live online from 2pm, the Commissioner will ask the Acting Chief Constable about the progress Staffordshire Police is making in its ambition to become an outstanding local Police force once again.
Topics discussed at the meeting will include: Improvements in contact, with 88.2% of 999 calls answered within 10 seconds in the 12 months to February 2026, and the average time to answer 101 calls reducing to under two minutes for the last six months An update on the first phase of the Victim’s Portal, which since its launch in December 2024 has been used by 22% of victims to track, monitor and receive updates about the progress of their crime or incidentAn update on the Action Fund project, which saw over 16,000 hours of high-visibility Police patrols in 19 hotspot areas, resulting in a 4% reduction in crime, a 26% reduction in knife crime and an 8% reduction in serious violence in those areas
The Police Public Performance Meeting will be live streamed online from 2pm on Thursday 14 May, and will also be available to view afterwards.
The Commissioner’s Independent Scrutiny Panels are looking for a diverse demographic of community members to help scrutinise Police powers such as: Stop Search, Use of Force, Powers within Custody, Strip Search
Volunteers will cross question information and Body Worn Video to help identify any problems and to help suggest solutions.
Staffordshire Police are appealing for witnesses following an attempted break-in in Stoke-on-Trent.
Between 12pm and 10pm on Tuesday 21 April, damage was caused to a front door on Ford Avenue, Chell Heath.
Nothing was stolen from inside the house.
Our investigation is ongoing and we are appealing for anyone with CCTV, doorbell or dashcam footage of the area at the time to contact us. Call 101, quoting incident 885 of 21 April, or use Live Chat on our website.
To report anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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