Government joins families of victims to put an end to knife crime -
Thousands of young people will be asked to join a campaign to put an end to knife crime, the Prime Minister will announce today. To launch Count Me In: Together We Can Stop Knife Crime week the Government has joined forces with Families Utd, a charitable organisation representing the families of victims of knife crime.
The Government and Families Utd aim to get thousands of young people to join an online campaign to end knife crime. Hosted through the Families Utd website and Facebook, young people will be urged to join the campaign with a week of activity in and around schools across the country.
Young people will be directed to the websites where they can join a group to give their support to the campaign. The websites will contain advice, routes to further support and testimonies from the families and communities affected by knife crime.
Speaking ahead of the launch in Lambeth, the Prime Minister said: "I'm very proud to support Families Utd. Their unity comes from shared tragedy and their loss is the most powerful warning there is against carrying a knife. I believe young people want to see an end to knife crime, just as we all do, and I believe the power to make that happen is as much in their hands as it is ours. So this week we're asking them to sign the pledge and say "Count Me In" to a world without knife crime."
Schools Minister Vernon Coaker said: "Knife crime has a devastating impact on the families and communities affected. The victims' families have to live with the tragic consequences of knife crime for the rest of their lives - this is deeply saddening.
As a result of Government action, knife-related crime and murders are on the decrease. But we are not complacent - we know that more needs to be done to eradicate knife crime in this country. Government alone cannot solve this problem, which is why we are calling on young people to join the campaign to help us end knife crime.
I am very grateful to Families Utd for their support. From their tragic experiences, they have become the driving force behind this nationwide campaign to end knife crime. We know that that the vast majority of young people are law-abiding, hard-working and are horrified by the crimes these families suffered. I would urge all young people to stand up and be counted and to join Count Me In, because only by working together can we hope to stop knife crime."
Count Me In Week will be reinforced with new classroom materials to help teachers talk to young people about knife crime and serious youth violence. The materials, supported by Families Utd and the Kids Taskforce, will be available to all schools online and distributed to almost 300,000 primary school pupils in the areas most affected by knife crime.
The founding members of Families Utd joined together to start a campaign to help other families affected by knife crime, following the tragic deaths of their children as a result of serious youth violence.
For the families involved, Count Me In Week will be an opportunity to raise awareness of the impact knife crime has on families and the wider community. It is also a chance to alert other knife crime victims' families to their organisation and to make them aware of the support available to them.
Home Secretary Alan Johnson said: "We are determined to rid our streets of serious youth violence. We have made some encouraging progress, most recent crime statistics show that knife murders have fallen by a third.
Police action and powers are vital in tackling knife crime, but so is education and prevention - showing young people the consequences and helping them to make other choices. This week is a great opportunity for young people to take a stand against the small minority who commit these serious crimes and spread the message that they won't tolerate knife crime. By working together we will make our streets and communities safer."
Sally Knox said: "It is an honour to work with Families United in Supporting the Count Me in Campaign. I truly believe that we need to get into schools and educate young people about street violence and respect. Together with the other families who have suffered similar tragedies and the government we can make a difference to the future of young people on our streets."
Barry Mizen said: "Count Me In is a chance for all the young people of this country to add their voice, and display in a tangible way, their desires to bring improvements to our communities. It is all too easy nowadays to brand young people as aggressive and confrontational, when in fact that is far from the truth and most want to show they have much to offer and can be part of the solution. We should support and encourage them as they come behind families who have lost loved ones to violent crime and are seeking to work for changes to the attitudes and actions that blight our communities. All of us have a part to play in bringing peace, whether it's the fear we feel on our streets, or our concerns for our own children or grandchildren, or indeed our elderly relatives, and together we can."
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/countmein
FamiliesUtd http://www.familiesutd.co.uk
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