Parents warning children about knife crime from age of 7, poll suggests

More than one in 10 parents surveyed say they have warned child while still in infant school

Knife crime has nearly doubled since 2014, leading parents to warn their children about it from as young as seven years old (PA)

Parents are warning children about knife crime when they are as young as seven years old, a new poll suggests.

While respondents said they felt between the age of 10 and 11 is the right age to talk to children about stabbings, more than one in 10 have the discussion while their child is still in infant school.

Official figures from the Home Office show a huge rise in the number of knife crime offences, with a total of 43,516 recorded in the 12 months leading up to March 2019.

This has risen to nearly double the 23,945 offences committed in the year ending in March 2014.

As a result, a survey of 2,000 parents of children under 18 found 72 per cent worry that their child could become a victim of knife crime.

Almost eight per cent said their child has been attacked or threatened with a knife while nearly one in 13 know of a youngster who has been a victim.

And seven per cent have caught their child with a sharp weapon.

A third of those surveyed were so concerned about their child’s safety, they would consider moving to a new area.

Others reported they would walk their child to and from school (33 per cent), search their bags or coats for knives (23 per cent) or move them to a new school (17 per cent) in order to protect them.

It also emerged more than one in four parents believe knife crime is getting worse in their area with 57 per cent believing the government, police and local authorities are struggling to get it under control.

Seven in 10 parents are calling for more schools to do more with children to broach the discussion around knife crime, with just 16 per cent saying their school holds anti-knife lessons.

“It paints a bleak picture of childhood when parents feel they have to speak to their child about knife crime from just seven years old,” said Siobhan Freegard, founder of ChannelMum, which commissioned the poll.

“It’s not a conversation any mum or dad wants to have, but it may well be necessary to keep teens safe.

“The knife crime epidemic is spreading across all areas of the country so it’s absolutely essential that children are helped to stay safe while adults must better understand the growing pressures our young people are under.”

The survey also found that of those who worry about their child being a victim of knife crime, 27 per cent of parents fear they may think it’s “cool” or impressive to carry a knife around.

Another quarter expressed concerns their youngster could be drawn into a gang for protection from other groups.

Almost one in four worry their son or daughter will end up carrying a knife for their own protection, while 15 per cent fear them being jailed.

To try and keep their child safe, more than one in five parents have already asked their children to change their behaviour with the majority of those persuading their children to avoid certain areas which make them nervous.

Nearly four in 10 have also requested their children stop hanging around with certain friends and a fifth have asked to install a tracker on their child’s mobile phone, so they can monitor their whereabouts.

It also emerged one in eight parents polled wouldn’t report their child to the police if they caught them carrying a knife, and 36 per cent say they “aren’t sure” what they’d do.

Anti-knife crime campaigner Brooke Kinsella, whose brother Ben was stabbed to death in 2008 aged just 16, said: “You can’t wrap up children in cotton wool and lock them up so they can’t go out.

“But our children should not be worried about knife crime. They should be thinking about exam results, where they want to go to college and what they want to do when they grow up.

“They should not be worried that they are not going to grow up.”

Ms Freegard added: “Knives can change lives in seconds so it’s vital we all know how to help victims quickly.

“It’s vital for parents to talk to their children about knife crime and the effects it can have not only on them, but also on their friends and families.”

SWNS