NEARLY 200 Cumbrian children have been convicted or cautioned for carrying knives – and some of them are repeat offenders, we can reveal.

More lives, families and communities in Cumbria will be ‘destroyed’ by knife crime if young people are not properly educated about the risks of carrying a blade, campaigners have warned.

Since 2011, at least 21 youngsters have been locked up and scores more handed community sentences and cautions for knife crime.

And the true scale of the issue could be higher, as new figures cover only those punished for carrying a blade or using one to threaten others.

Ministry of Justice figures show nine children convicted or cautioned last year are among 194 under-18s to have been investigated by Cumbria Constabulary for knife crime in a decade.

Most were older teenagers when they were convicted but 86 were 15 or under – and 20 of them were repeat offenders.

The stabbing of a child at Barrow’s Walney School is just one of the shocking cases that illustrate the horrific impact of knife crime in Cumbria.

In January, a 16-year-old was arrested and later charged with attempted murder after the 15-year-old boy was airlifted to hospital with serious stab injuries.

And in March, three teens were apprehended after a man was repeatedly stabbed in Fletcher Park in Kendal.

'No longer a big city problem'

The national Ben Kinsella Trust was established in memory of a London boy murdered by older teenagers in 2008.

The charity’s CEO Patrick Green said Cumbria’s shock statistics prove knife crime is no longer a 'big city problem'.

He added: “It is appearing in more and more towns across the country.

“Knife crime destroys lives, families, and communities.

“That is why it is important that we ensure that those who chose to carry knives are brought to justice.

“But it is also important that we do far more to educate young people about the dangers of carrying knives.

“Prevention and early intervention are every bit as important as enforcement when tackling this problem.”

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A Government spokeswoman highlighted early intervention and prevention programmes established within Violence Reduction Units in an attempt to divert people away from crime.

She added: “Each young life lost to violence is one too many and we are determined to tackle serious violence.

“All educational establishments, including colleges and further education providers, are required to work with the partners responsible for developing and delivering local responses to serious violence.” 

'We are never complacent about an issue as serious as this' - Police

Chief Inspector Gill Cherry said: “We work closely with partner agencies across the county to tackle knife crime in Cumbria. 

“We do this by enforcing the law and we also work to tackle the problem through education.

“We launched Op Divan in November 2021, to educate and support young people under the age of 18 where there is information or intelligence to suggest that they may be carrying a knife or other weapon.

“The aim of the operation is to prevent the criminalisation of young people, keep them safe and promote culture change around attitudes to carrying a knife.

“Op Divan provides an opportunity for the force’s Child Centred Policing teams to educate young people and raise awareness of the consequences of carrying a knife and reduce the number of young people carrying a weapon.

“We don’t want to see any young person unnecessarily criminalised because they didn’t know the consequences of carrying a knife or they were unaware of the support available to them.

“Hopefully this initiative will help young people to make better, more positive decisions going forward.

“We want to educate people from an early age about the dangers of carrying a knife and getting involved in violent crime – and we also speak to retailers on their responsibilities.

“We are currently running Operation Sceptre which we run regularly to give people in Cumbria the chance to hand in unwanted knives. Our current surrender ends Sunday, May 22. 

“As part of this operation officers also engage with retailers to provide further guidance on their legal duty to ensure knives are not sold to young people. 

“There are many risks when you carry a knife, the obvious one being you are putting yourself and others at risk of serious injury or worse.

“We are never complacent about an issue as serious as this so work hard all-year-round to prevent and prosecute these types of crimes.”

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