Pupils urged to tell police about kids in gangs

CHILDREN as young as 11 are being urged to become unofficial police informants and name peers at risk of becoming involved in knife crime, drugs and gangs.

- Jon Austin

Officers hope to break through youngsters’ “no snitching” code and get them to think about anonymously reporting concerns about fellow pupils.

If the Blunt Truth initiative is successful, Avon and Somerset Police hopes other forces could adopt it to help stem the growing tide of teen stabbings and killings.

Figures released on Thursday showed record numbers of knife-related crimes last year – up six percent on 2019 and a 53 percent increase in a decade since 2011.

In 2020 there were 50,019 reported offences involving a blade in England and Wales, an average of 137 a day.

In London, there have already been 14 murders involving knives this year, with many of those killed or arrested in their teens.