While tough enforcement is vital in dealing with the violent crime that blights many communities, prevention and early intervention are fundamental to changing Scotland’s knife carrying culture long term.

The Scottish Government is investing heavily in preventing young people from becoming involved with knives through it’s £500K youth engagement initiative, No Knives Better Lives, which aims to educate young people on the dangers and consequences of carrying a knife.

The Scottish Government announced No Knives, Better Lives at the first national knife crime youth conference at Murrayfield, Edinburgh in March 2009.

Since then, the Government has been working with young people, and a range of partners, to develop the initiative which will be delivered through intensive local engagement campaigns in targeted communities across Scotland.

No Knives Better Lives in Inverclyde

Inverclyde has been identified as the first target area and the initiative was launched locally on 19^th June 2009. Other local authority areas will be targeted in due course.

Supported by local partners and local young people, two key approaches to the initiative are currently underway in Inverclyde:

• In the community, the campaign is being driven through a range of local activity, including hard hitting communications (cinema ads, posters, bluetooth messages) and providing young people with opportunities to get involved such as driving the campaign amongst their peers and participating in diversionary activity.

• In addition, the local campaign will be combined with a structured programme of work in local secondary schools including interactive workshops, talks from ex-offenders and Medics Against Violence lessons.