Cash from surrendered knives invested in education

Profits from weapons which have been surrendered to police, melted down and sold have been used to start a new knife-crime education programme.

Lifeskills in Bristol is running scenario-based classes at its interactive centre to help Year 6 pupils learn the dangers of carrying a blade.

The venue will use an immersive setting with video calls and text messages to navigate the issue in real time.

Since last year Avon and Somerset Police claim more than 1,000 weapons a month are given up into surrender bins.

After being melted down the knives are sold on as alloy ingots.

Gemma Graville, the centre manager at Lifeskills said she felt the service had a "unique opportunity" to help police tackle knife crime.

She added: "There's always different issues that we are having to tackle at life skills, so the fact we're having to look at knife crime, it's just an issue of the times."

Katherine Legg, year 6 teacher at St Chad's Primary School in Bristol, said she thought the project would be "really beneficial" for the children she teaches.

"It put them in the scenario. Often at school we talk about situations they might come across in their life and you hope they are taking those things on board, but to actually have a chance to live it out, I think is really important and gives them a chance to think through what they would do in the moment.

"They think about someone bringing a knife somewhere. They assume it's a stranger, they don't stop to think it could be a friend," she added.

Pupil Simi took part in the scenario at Lifeskills and said: "I think it was a very useful experience, because sometimes people can be peer pressured by other people to do things that are wrong.

"So I think it was very helpful to know what to do when you're being pressured by your friends."

A sentiment shared by classmate Willow, who added: "When you're a kid... you can tell people it's not a good thing to do... and it gave a lot of description about what you should do and what you can't do."

Ch Insp Mike Vass, who led the project, said: "By exposing children to knife crime prevention education in Year 6, at a formative stage in their lives, we hope to equip them with the knowledge they need to build resilience and make safe choices inside and outside of the classroom.

"Even choosing to carry a knife without intending to use it makes them more vulnerable to harm."

He added: "If this intervention protects just one child from the dangers of knife crime, it has made our efforts worthwhile."

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