The issues surrounding gun and knife crime, especially where young people are involved, have received national media attention in recent years. South Yorkshire Police is committed to reducing the number of youth-related incidents in their region involving guns and knives, and, through a combination of prevention, intervention and education has achieved considerable success.

In 2005 before the Guns and Knives Take Lives initiative was introduced, 46 per cent of firearms incidents attended by firearms officers in South Yorkshire involved young people, in comparison to just 12 per cent of incidents in 2009. A major element of South Yorkshire Police’s proactive drive to tackle these important issues has been the role taken by a team of operational firearms officers in schools right across the county.

The South Yorkshire Police ‘Guns and Knives Take Lives’ education team consists of ten operational firearms officers who, alongside their usual core firearms role, deliver a visually impactive, interactive and thought provoking presentation, primarily to Year 9 schoolchildren. 

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