Knowing the facts

The effects of knife crime aren’t always what you think of first – even if nobody gets injured.

Here are some facts to help you feel more confident when talking to your child:

Getting caught with a knife

If you get caught with a knife, even if it was for your own protection or you were carrying it for someone else, you will be arrested and prosecuted.

Stopped and Searched

Police can and will search anyone they believe is carrying a knife. On average over 50,000 people in Scotland were stopped and searched by Police each month between April and November 2013.

Prison

Getting caught with a knife can mean a prison sentence of up to 5 years – even if it’s not used.

Keeping Safe

Some young people carry knives to protect themselves and ‘keep safe’. But if you carry a knife you are much more likely to use it and to get stabbed yourself.

Joint Enterprise

If someone is injured or killed by a knife in your presence you could be prosecuted even if it’s not you who uses it. You could be sent to prison for murder in what is referred to as ‘joint enterprise’.

Alcohol

Alcohol lowers inhibitions and increases the chances of taking a risk. In Scotland, alcohol is a factor in 80% of weapons related injuries. Source: Violence Reduction Unit.

There’s No Place Like Home

There is no ‘safe place’ to stab someone. A wound in the arm or the leg can still be life threatening. Young people have died from wounds to the leg because an artery was severed.

Stabbing an Artery

If a knife punctures an artery you can bleed to death within a minute.

Criminal Record

If you have a criminal record you might not be accepted into a college or university, get a job, or travel to some countries, like the USA, Canada or Australia.