Carry a knife for self defence? PC delivers message to local pupils

Being a police officer isn’t always about just catching criminals; there’s a huge part of the role that focusses on community engagement, and to a degree, education.

This past week, Oasis Academy, Sholing has been visited. Year 8 pupils have had the opportunity to hear from one of the locally based PCs.

The visits were coordinated between the school and the police, rather than the school having been targeted. The topic of discussion was knife crime, something that sends fear through the majority, we’re sure.

One observation noted by, and shared on social media by PC Richards, was the answer given to one of his opening questions, “Give me a legal reason for you guys to carry a knife in public?”

The sessions were delivered to small groups at a time. However, each and every time that question was asked, the reply given by at least one was for self defence reasons. Keep in mind that year 8 pupils are just 12 or 13 years old.

In reply, PC Richards rightly confirmed that this is not a legal reason or defence to carry a knife. He went on to say that the sessions were well received, but requested that his message be shared far and wide.

In a nutshell, the saying ‘knives ruin lives’ cannot be understated; it is never OK to carry a knife for the purposes of harm, or self defence.

Well done PC Paul Richards, and well done to both the staff and pupils at Oasis Sholing, SO19.