You’re 14 years old. Your friend asks you to put a knife in your school bag for him, not for long, but you do him a favour.
Someone sees you though and before you know it, you end up arrested and in a custody cell. You are charged and stand trial at court, and jurors find you guilty. You learn that you could face a prison sentence just for carrying that knife.
This was the scenario faced by students from Vista Academy in Littleport earlier this week, who used role play to talk about serious issues including knife-crime and county lines drug dealing.
The students witnessed an arrest and worked alongside our very own officers, a practicing magistrate and a crown court judge to find out what happens next before helping to come up with an appropriate sentence.
The event is carried out throughout the year thanks to East Cambs District Council, but this week it also formed part of our Sceptre work to tackle knife crime – with the weapons amnesty taking place and engaging with the younger generation.
| Do you or the people you love know the true consequences of knife crime? They include:
· A four-year prison sentence just for carrying a weapon · A permanent criminal record, which you have to declare for the rest of your life (for example when applying for jobs or going on holiday) There have been some heart-breaking cases in Cambridgeshire in recent years where young men have lost their lives because of a drugs dispute or because their attacker decided to carry a weapon. For more info, support and advice around knife crime see our dedicated web pages.
Kind regards, Message Sent By |
