Does drilling the facts into these young people persuade them to drop the knives?

I read an interesting article on the BBC news website that discusses 'The Be Safe project' that is traveling around schools nationwide to tell young people and teenagers the many dangers in carrying a knife, for you, your friends, your family etc.

Here are some useful quotes from the website that i may be able to use in my notes for the exam;

"At the end of each Be Safe weapons awareness course, pupils are asked if they would like to hand in their blades, or leave knives under their seats.

Hundreds have been left behind at the courses which have been running mainly in London and surrounding counties since 1998. The Be Safe project also teaches people to run the courses, and there are now 330 trainers working nationally with young offenders and in schools."

"Be Safe organiser David Morris says: "If we are working in a school - an inner city school anywhere in the country - around a third of a class of 30 pupils will put up their hand and say they have carried a knife at some point."

But few grasp the implications of using one. Mr Morris, a former police officer, says young people tend not to think beyond putting the knife in their pocket or bag.

"Most say they are carrying it for self-defence, but [their] knife has never been used for this and never will be.""

"First up is there's no such thing as a "safe stabbing"."

Full article here.

I think this article does highlight that the government is trying to do something about knife crime in the younger generation, even though many people suggest that they aren't, and this seems to be a very good idea if it can grow and be able to visit schools quite regularly.