A Zoom event will take place on Wednesday 10th February to launch a new animated film for young people, teachers, parents and carers. The No More Knives story, written by award-winning author and Honorary Member of the NSPCC Council, Christina Gabbitas and illustrated by Evie Hurst, was produced as part of a programme of work by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) for Humberside, to help educate children aged 10 and over on the dangers of getting involved with county lines drug networks and carrying knives.
In 2018, the OPCC secured funding from the Home Office for the Humberside Early Intervention Programme (HEIP). Building upon this work, and to give further traction to the messages being delivered through the resource, the No More Knives story will now be launched as an animation, supporting the work of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s ‘Not In Our Community’ campaign, which aims to raise awareness of grooming and child exploitation across our communities.
Author Christina Gabbitas said, “I spent many months researching the subject, including speaking to various members of police personnel and a former gang member who was involved in knife crime. The story is about a group of friends who are groomed into county lines drug dealing, who also discover the dangers of carrying knives. It is a story of choices and consequences. I firmly believe that early education and intervention are key to crime prevention. I hope that the resource will be used far and wide.”
The story has also received accolades from other regions, including the Thames Valley Violence Reduction Unit. PC Russ Massie said “The No More Knives story by Christina accurately portrays the dangers of exploitation facing young people today. We fully endorse this excellent resource for young people to recognise risks and potential consequences as well as signposting to organisations who will help them.”
Local digital design team, INIT Creative, have animated the story from Christina’s comic-strip-style book into an animation feature, with the voiceovers produced by Christina in collaboration with The Warren Youth Project in Hull.
The music for the animation was written and produced by local record company Beats Bus Records, and the full County Lines music track will be released soon.
The animation will be launched at a free online public event on Wednesday 10 February at 18:30. The event will be hosted on Zoom and can be entered by using the link below. The screening of the animation will follow introductions from Police and Crime Commissioner Keith Hunter and the author Christina Gabbitas, a Q&A session will be held after the animation.
The animation will be available on YouTube, on the No More Knife Crime website and will soon be available through the Not In Our Community website, with accompanying session plans to support learning whether at home or in the classroom.
Police and Crime Commissioner Keith Hunter said, “It is vitally important for us to invest in the future of our young people, who may be at risk of being diverted into crime or at danger of being exploited. Not In Our Community is about education and helping young people protect themselves and friends against grooming that can lead to sexual and criminal exploitation, but it is also about awareness and communication; helping communities to understand the issues so they recognise and report exploitation if they see it, or even suspect it.
“We are proud to work with Christina Gabbitas to engage with young people. The No More Knives story is a brilliant way of educating children and young people on the dangers of being exploited and is a valuable addition to the Not In Our Community campaign and resources.”
Zoom Event Details
Wednesday 10th February 2021 at 6:30pm
Join Zoom Meeting
Posted on Tuesday 2nd February 2021
