Selby author Christina Gabbitas focuses on knife crime

Christina Gabbitas said she had written The No More Knives story and it had been illustrated by Evie Hurst as a resource that could help to educate parents, carers , teachers as well as children and young people.

“It was produced as part of a programme of work by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) for Humberside, Keith Hunter, to help educate children aged 10 and over on the dangers of getting involved with county lines drug networks and carrying knives,” she said.

She said that in 2018, the OPCC secured funding from the Home Office for the Humberside Early Intervention Programme (HEIP) and the No More Knives story - which is being launched tonight (February 10) on Zoom - would be supporting the work of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s ‘Not In Our Community’ campaign, which aimed to raise awareness of grooming and child exploitation across our communities.

“I spent many months researching the subject, including speaking to various member of police personnel and a former gang member who was involved in knife crime,” she said.”The story is about a group of friends who are groomed into county lines drug dealing, who also discover the dangers of carrying knives.

“It is a story of choices and consequences. I firmly believe that early education and intervention are key to crime prevention.I hope the resource will be used far and wide.”

The story has received accolades from other regions, including the Thames Valley Violence Reduction Unit.

Police and Crime Commissioner Keith Hunter said “We are proud to work with Christina Gabbitas to engage with young people. The No More Knives story is a brilliant way of educating children and young people on the dangers of being exploited and is a valuable addition to the Not In Our Community campaign and resources.”

• The animation will be available on YouTube, on the No More Knife Crime website.