No Knives, Better Lives

This is a subject which kinda hits close to home but nevertheless i still feel the need too write about it. 'No knives, better lives' is a council run campaign founded in 2009 which aims to raise awareness of the potential dangers of carrying a knife. If you carry a knife, theres a pretty high chance you'll end up using it, even if you didn't mean too. Some of the risks included in knife carrying are scars to the face, loss of limb, brain damage and not to mention bleeding to death within minutes.

A prime example of this is the death of one of my very best friends Jack Frew. A victim of knife crime, Jack bled to death in May 2010 before the ambulance crew had a chance to get there. His fate would be completely different if his murderer, Craig Roy, had not left the house carrying a knife. It ruined not only Jack's life but the lives of his family and Craigs family. Ultimately Jacks family are the ones carrying the life sentence as they have to live the rest of their lives without Jack by their side. Craig was sentenced on the 1st March 2012 and recieved a minimum of 18 years. In my opinion life should mean life and 18 years will never take back what he did, but its at least something in the form of justice.

It can almost be gauranteed that if you are caught carrying a knife there will be a prison sentence of up to four years in jail. If you use it to injure someone the sentence will be significantly higher.

I have only recently heard of the 'No knives, better lives' campaign and hope to get involved with it at some point in the near future as it is something I now feel very strongly about. I want to make people aware of the dangers of carrying a knife whether you have the intent to use it or not. There are too many things at stake and its not worth risking it. I lost my best friend because someone chose to carry a knife and if this campaign stops even one person from carrying a knife, then a difference has been made.

There is also a Facebook page so go on, give them a like and help raise awareness of knife crime.