Knife Crime: How it impacts a victim and their family

Knife crime in Dorset remains low compared to the national picture, but one person carrying a knife is one too many.

Tackling violence remains a priority for my Office and Dorset Police. Alongside the operations in place to take knives off our streets, stop the sale of knives to minors and prevent banned blades being sold, there is great outreach work happening to educate children about the danger of knives.

Dorset Police’s Safer Schools Team go into schools across the county to speak about knife crime, and my Office have created a series of informative and emotive videos that are being used as part of their presentations.

One video features a surgeon that operates on victims, the second is an interview with a victim’s family, the third with a man who previously carried a knife while part of a county line operation, and the last saw an officer recall his experiences of dealing with the aftermath of knife crime incidents.

Knife crime not only effects a victim and their family, but can reverberate through an entire community,  reducing feelings of safety and increasing fear and anxiety.

As part of Knife Crime Awareness Week - I am going to hand over this week’s newsletter to Amiee, whose daughter was the victim of a knife crime, to tell their story that highlights the huge impact of such an event:

“One of the reasons I now work with Victim Support is because my daughter was a victim of knife crime. Victim support provided my daughter with a lot of wellbeing and practical support to help empower her, move forward and rebuild her life which was invaluable, and I wanted to be part of that work. Since working within Victim Support we have seen a rise in the number of young victims of knife crime referred to us across Dorset. We have supported teenagers who have been victims of knife crime but children as young as nine have received our help.

“Two years ago, my daughter was verbally threatened by a fellow student after a trivial dispute and two days later, he pulled a knife on her outside the school premises which was captured on CCTV. It took 22 months to reach court but finally, the 13 year-old offender was convicted.

“Although my daughter was unharmed physically, the trauma remains. For a long time after, she was scared to leave the house because of continued harassment from the perpetrator and his peers, so to focus on her mental health, we took the difficult decision to temporarily remove her from school.

“The effects of knife crime are deep and long-lasting for us all, even if there are no scars to show. It is frustrating it took a long time before the case could be heard before a judge as it only prolongs the pain.

“The perpetrator now has a restraining order not to contact my daughter, which provides a little more comfort for her when leaving the house and enabled her to re-start school. But so much damage has been done that will take a long time to heal. My daughter lost friends as she isolated herself and did not attend events she was invited to, while I still struggle overcome my fear and rebuild resilience.

“We thought about changing school but being in rural Dorset, there are far fewer options than living in Bournemouth or Poole. It was also tricky because we bought our own house which makes us less socially mobile but we decided if the boy was not prosecuted, we would have felt compelled to move area. These are the hidden consequences of knife crime that are not reported on.

“Victim Support run knife crime awareness workshops for free in Dorset schools and it is shocking how many children admit to knowing someone that carries a knife. At a secondary school recently, all 18 students in the workshop said they are aware of a peer carrying a knife. In a Year 5 class, six students were aware. It is very concerning and should be high on the agenda of those with policy making powers. This is why we have this project, to help educate young people on the effects of knife crime and save lives.

“Our daughter’s perpetrator did not receive a custodial sentence but was made to undertake community service. The boy was only 13 and I doubt he is an evil person, although he must take accountability, reflect and rehabilitate thus allowing him to integrate well into society without posing a threat to others.”

Thanks to Amiee for sharing an insight into her family’s journey, that highlights the reality of knife crime on a victim and their loved ones. Amiee's account shows that contrary to perception, knife crime is not just an urban issue but also effects communities across the breadth of Dorset.

I want to take this opportunity to encourage all parents and educators to have conversations with their children or students about knife crime and its potential consequences such as being expelled from school, being sent to prison or even someone losing their life. Law enforcement is one means of tackling knife crime, but it must be done in conjunction with other strategies that may take longer for positive changes to become visible.

I have been calling for a Violence Reduction Unit in Dorset since coming to Office in 2021 that would bring together partner agencies including local councils, health, and education sectors to commission services preventing serious violence.

Government funding is a barrier to having a fully fledged Violence Reduction Unit that other Force areas benefit from but last year, my Office recruited a head of Violence and Reduction for Dorset so we now have a team in place working to reduce violence.

The Violence Reduction team collaborate with partners such as Victim Support to ensure interventions and diversions are put in place, and those most at risk are identified so adequate safeguards are installed.

Our aim is to commission quality early intervention, to prevent harmful experiences in childhood from evolving into serious violence. As part of this aim, my Office is seeking the views of young people on knife crime and serious violence in Dorset and I urge anyone under the age of 25 to complete our survey here.

We are getting on the front foot in Dorset, and I want people to have confidence in our commitment to tackle this abhorrent crime. 

To report knife crime, please contact Dorset Police, or anonymously provide information to Fearless and Crimestoppers. Always call 999 in an emergency.

David Sidwick

Police and Crime Commissioner