Leader of Knowsley Council, Cllr Graham Morgan, has issued a message of reassurance to communities in Knowsley that serious violence has no place on its streets.
And whilst any report of a crime involving a young person and serious violence is shocking, he has stressed that these cases remain rare – the vast majority of young people in Knowsley and across the City Region have never, and would never, be involved.
Cllr Morgan said: “I’m a dad and a grandad, and like everyone else, hearing on the news cases involving young people and serious violence is shocking and worrying. My thoughts really go out to those young people who have been hurt and their families – it’s a devastating thing to happen.
“But we do have to remember that these cases remain, thankfully, extremely rare – which is why they receive so much attention when they do unfortunately happen.
“We are supporting Merseyside Police and other local agencies in their work to educate our young people about the issue of serious violence and the consequences of these acts – and trying to dispel the myth that “everyone is doing it”, because we know that simply isn’t the case.
“We also know that carrying a knife – even if you don’t intend to use it – dramatically increases the chances of you being hurt in a knife related incident. So please, be smart, and don’t be tempted to carry a knife.”
And he urged parents to speak to their children about these issues.
“Shows like Adolescence have been a reminder of the importance of talking to our children about the issues that might be worrying them. Having a conversation about the dangers and the implications of serious violence for example is a really useful way to help them make sense of the things they might be seeing online – which aren’t always a true reflection of what’s really happening.”
If you have information about knife crime, or the carrying of such weapons, you can contact @MerPolCC on X, ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ on Facebook, 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.