New advertising campaign to fight knife crime

New adverts aimed at turning young people away from knife crime were launched today.

Posters showing youngsters behind bars alongside the slogan "Carry a Knife and Lose Your Life" will be displayed at bus stops across England and Wales.

TV and online adverts will include accounts from young people held in young offender institutions warning of the dangers of getting involved with knives.

Home Office minister David Hanson said: "The vast majority of young people are honest and law-abiding and won't tolerate violence in their neighbourhood. This campaign targets the small minority who break the law.

"Through this campaign we are sending out a clear message that people who break the law and continue to carry offensive weapons will face tough penalties."

The Home Office has launched a string of initiatives aimed at cutting knife crime after a spate of high profile stabbings last year.

Ten police force areas covered by the Tackling Knives Action Programme saw a fall of nearly a fifth in knife-related violence against under-20s in just under a year.

But the number of fatal stabbings was unchanged at 23 between July 2008 and March 2009, compared to a year earlier.