Life Not Knife

by Abdullah Ahmed

An attack using a knife is one of the most heinous attacks that one can be a victim of. The London Borough of Newham is now becoming a place where the knife crime rate is abnormally high. To raise awareness about this serious topic, NewVIc hosted the ‘Life not Knife’ event which consisted of many different workshops which included self-defence sessions, quizzes on crime and their repercussions, and also the London Ambulance Service educating students on how knife crime is treated.

Since knife crime is on the rise in Newham, self-defence sessions are needed to be taught now more than ever. In the self-defence sessions at the event, a self-defence expert taught students what to do in the event of a knife being pulled towards them. They also explained the parts of the body in which a knife can cause the most damage and how to prevent those parts from being severely damaged. With the use of props, the self-defence expert demonstrated how a knife may be used to attack a person and how the victim may defend themselves. This was a very good session as by the use of the role-play, the students were able to educate themselves in how to defend themselves and they were also able to know a knife can seriously damage someone. Knowing how to fend off a knife attack is becoming really important at a time where knife attacks are on the rise.

Life Not Knife Campaign Poster, Newham Sixth Form College

There were also workshops from the Metropolitan Police and the London Ambulance Service which allowed students to be enlightened about what to do when they’ve come across someone who has been attacked and also what the EMTs would do to treat someone with stab wounds. This workshop proved very popular with the students as they were able to learn how to give CPR as well as how to stop a victim bleeding excessively. Having basic first aid knowledge is vital as you never know when someone may be in need of emergency help. The Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel treats 3 people on a daily basis who come in with stab wounds and 2 people a week with bullet wounds. In an era where attacks using weapons are on the rise, it is very important for everyone to know the basic first aid methods and treatments.

Knife crime is on the rise at an alarming rate and as a community, we need to be alert at all times. The Life not Knife event was a great way to raise awareness about a really serious issue in Newham which needs to be sorted out sooner rather than later. In my opinion, these types of workshops need to be more frequent as it will shed light on the issue and how they affect everyone who is involved.

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