Exploring issues around knife crime
Duration: 14:00
A special News round programmer recounting the real life experiences of young people who have been affected by knife crime. Using animation, it explains their viewpoint in their own words, presenting both the perspective of a young person who carried out a knife crime as well as the physical and emotional effects on the victim. This clip was first published on BBC News round Online on 26 March 2008. Please note this clip is only available in Flash

knife carrying, especially amongst young men, is not unusual but there is insufficient evidence on the extent, nature, motivation, frequency and possible growth of knife carrying. Without further research, designing and implementing programmers to reduce the incidence of knife carrying will be difficult. According to official statistics the number of violent crimes involving knives in England and Wales has remained stable in recent years and it is impossible to establish either an upward or down ward trend in the number of actual incidents. Within particular offence categories there is no substantial evidence of a significant cha.nge in the proportions of knife use. Sharp instruments, which include knives, are the most common weapon in a homicide. But as a proportion of all homicides the use of sharp instruments has fallen over the past decade, accounting for less than thirty per cent of homicides in 2005/2006 compared to nearly forty percent in 1995. There is limited research on the motivations for knife carrying but children who have been a victim of crime are more likely to carry knives. There appears to be a link between knife carrying and whether or not young people