Youth event in Northampton tackles knife and gang crime

West Northamptonshire Council Interior of a theatre, showing a person in a yellow shirt and dark trousers walking on stage near a small lectern, and an image projected onto the back of the stage. There are red curtains and boxes on both sides with a wavy line pattern on the walls. Children sit in the theater seats, with a wooden plank in front of them. At the front of the seating area are two police officers in yellow hi-viz.West Northamptonshire Council

The event involved almost 700 children aged 10 or 11 years old

A tough event that has engaged six schoolchildren for almost 700 years with topics such as knife crime, gangs and online safety.

The Young Citizen’s Scheme took place over two days in Northampton.

The program included a play by students from Rushden about staying safe online.

Ch Insp Kim Jackson said the event would make a “real difference in creating a safer and more inclusive community”.

The project, which took place at the Deco Theater in Northampton, also covered fire and water safety, anti-social behaviour, railway safety and substance abuse.

Over lunch, Year 11 students from Rushden Academy performed their play “Add Me”, which focused on the importance of staying safe online.

There was also a hate crime workshop delivered by West Northamptonshire Youth Partnership, which focused on discrimination and was inspired by their social media takeover day in August.

Ollie Conopo/BBC Red facade of theater building with six high windows. Posters advertising events are visible on both sides. The legend above the doors says "The Old Savoy - Home of the Deco Theatre". There is a black railing and a traffic light outside the theater.Ollie Conopo/BBC

The event took place at the Deco Theater at the Old Savoy in Northampton

David Smith, West Northamptonshire Council’s cabinet member for communities, said: “The partnerships and dedication of everyone involved have created an experience that will have a lasting impact on these young students.”

Ch Insp Kim Jackson, from Northamptonshire Police, said the Youth Forum’s “efforts to raise awareness are making a real difference in creating a safer and more inclusive community”.