Hampshire: New campaign launched to highlight ‘truth about carrying a knife’

Hampshire’s young people are the target of a new campaign to highlight the truth about knife carrying and to encourage reporting of crime 100% anonymously.

Fearless, the youth service of Crimestoppers, launched the campaign this week, to highlight facts about knife crime, such as carrying a knife increasing your chances of being hurt and leading to five years in prison, even if it isn’t used. 

In a bid to reduce knife crime in the county, young people and the wider community are being informed about knife crime and encouraged to anonymously report people who carry knives to Fearless.
 
Fearless gives young people an option of staying 100% anonymous when speaking up about crime. Information can be given via Fearless.org or by calling freephone 0800 555 111 at any time or here on the Crimestoppers website. We are independent of the police. 

A free training session will take place online for professionals working with young people in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, to learn more about the Fearless anonymous reporting service and how to speak to young people about barriers to reporting crime.

The session will cover the difference between ‘snitching’ and reporting, and the Bystander Approach and what it means to be an ‘active bystander’, which describes choosing to take appropriate action when you know that behaviour is not acceptable.

“Asking young people to speak up about crime anonymously and without fear of retribution is at the heart of Fearless. 

"For this campaign, we particularly want to reach out to young people to address myths around knife carrying which they often hold, as well as encourage them to report people they’re worried about who are carrying knives."


Beth Simpson,
Hampshire Regional Manager

Visit Fearless.org for more information on Fearless and the resources it has available for young people and their peers.
 
More information on the free online training session for Hampshire professionals taking place on 25 May 2023 at 3:30pm can be found here.