“I wanted to be a gangster.”

“I wanted to be a gangster.”

These are the words of *Anthony, a former young offender and victim of child criminal exploitation (CCE) here in Staffordshire.

As part of our #DitchTheBlade campaign, we spoke to Anthony who explained how they first became involved with knives at the age of 13 and what finally helped them to break the cycle to become knife free.

If you have young people in your life, take this opportunity to share Anthony’s experience as a conversation starter as they may not fully understand the dangers and consequences of carrying a knife.

*Anthony’s name has been changed for anonymity