I suspect that my child may be falling in with the wrong crowd, what should I do?

Where can I get more advice on gun and knife crime? 

What are South Yorkshire Police doing to tackle gun and knife crime? 

My child has an air rifle/BB gun and want to get rid of it, what should I do?  

Is my child likely to be influenced by the music they listen to, the films they watch and the computer games that they play?  

How can I report a crime anonymously?

Has my child received the Guns and Knives Take Lives presentation?

Is gun and knife crime a big problem in South Yorkshire? 

What are the consequences of carrying a gun or a knife?

How can I contact South Yorkshire Police?  

What is meant by the term ‘gangs’?

 

I suspect that my child may be falling in with the wrong crowd, what should I do?

If you suspect your child is falling in with the wrong crowd the best thing you can do is talk to them about the potential dangers. Talking can be very difficult, but keep trying. Your child may be scared or unwilling to talk. It is hard to talk to your child about gun and knife crime, but not half as hard as never talking to them again. Check out the talking about knives website for advice.

 

Where can I get more advice on gun and knife crime?

There are many sources of advice and information available on the internet. Start with our support for parents page where you will find lots of useful links to further information.

 

What are South Yorkshire Police doing to tackle gun and knife crime?

South Yorkshire Police’s Firearms Support Group provide 24/7 support in South Yorkshire, should an armed response be needed. When the officers are not doing this, they can be found in any of South Yorkshire’s secondary schools passing the message on to youngsters that ‘Guns and Knives Take Lives’. Since January 2007, over 50,000 young people have seen the presentation. Find out more.

 

I have an air rifle/BB gun and want to get rid of it, what should I do?

If you have a knife or a gun, or a replica gun such as BB gun, pellet gun or air rifle then you are more likely to harm yourself or someone else.

There are several examples in South Yorkshire where young people have lost their life or suffered life changing injuries due to misusing imitation firearms, watch Mark’s story to see the devastating effects of weapons of any kind.

These items are not toys and you can hand them into any local police station without any further questions being asked. Find out how.

  

Is my child likely to be influenced by the music they listen to, the films they watch and the computer games that they play?

Whether or not exposure to media violence causes increased levels of aggression and violence in young people is a question often asked. What we do know is that young people are impressionable. Some experts argue that evidence shows that exposure to media violence causes children to behave more aggressively and affects them as adults years later. Others maintain that the scientific evidence simply does not show that watching violence either produces violence in people, or desensitizes them to it.

A recent study of children in their early teens found that almost a third played video games daily, and that 7 per cent played for at least 30 hours a week. What is more, some of these games being played include interactive violence that is becoming increasingly realistic. Watch the video Knife City which blurs the reality between the real and the virtual.

 

How can I report a crime anonymously?

If you want to report a crime, but you do not want to be identified to the police, call Crimestoppers.

Crimestoppers staff will record your information and pass it on to the police so that it can be used to solve the crime.

Your call will not be traced, and you won't have to testify in court or give a full statement, no matter how useful the information turns out to be.

You can call Crimestoppers at any time on 0800 555 111.

 

Has my child received the Guns and Knives Take Lives presentation?

The Guns and Knives Take Lives team attend nearly every secondary school in South Yorkshire every academic year to deliver the presentation to year 9 year groups. While there are a few schools unwilling to engage with the initiative if your child has passed through year 9 in a South Yorkshire secondary school since 2005, the likelihood is that they will have seen the presentation. Over 50,000 young people have seen the presentation since 2007.

 

Is gun and knife crime a big problem in South Yorkshire?

While gun and knife crime is on the increase nationally, South Yorkshire is not as affected as other similar counties.

Latest Force crime statistics, comparing the period from Oct 2009 to Sept 2010 with the previous 12 months, show that recorded gun crime (excluding air weapons) is down by 11 to 138 offences – a reduction of seven per cent.  Firearms offences have fallen steadily across the Force from 409 in 2005/06 to 304 in 2006/07, 275 in 2007/08 and 203 in 2008/09.

Knife crime fell by 3 per cent from October 2009 to September 2010 when compared with the previous 12-month period. There were 17 fewer offences across South Yorkshire (a total of 561 offences) compared with the same period in 2008 to 2009

Since the Guns and Knives Take Lives initiative began, youth-related firearm incidents have reduced by 71 per cent. Check out the full stats. 

 

What are the consequences of carrying a gun or a knife?

The maximum penalty for carrying a knife, or getting someone else to carry a knife for you is four years in prison while the maximum penalty for carrying a gun, or getting someone else to carry a gun for you is ten years in prison. You might think this sounds a long time but there can be far more serious consequences to carrying a knife or a gun. The item might be taken off you and used against you or you might be apprehended by armed response officers who may have to make the decision whether to shoot or not. 

 

How can I contact South Yorkshire Police?

Visit the South Yorkshire Police website for all the various ways to contact South Yorkshire Police.

 

What is meant by the term ‘gangs’?

The term 'gang' is used in many different ways by the media, police, community organisations and the Government, with definitions ranging from 'a group of young people hanging around shopping centres' to 'organised criminal gangs'. A gang can be described as:

Relatively durable, predominantly street based groups of young people who see themselves (and are seen by others) as a discernable group for whom crime and violence is integral to the group's identity.

 

This page is being worked on, please bear with us. If you have a question you would like answering, or one you think should appear on this page then please contact us.