Under the knife

The victims, who are left dead or maimed for life, are increasingly becoming younger.

In recent weeks, several teenagers across the country, particularly in London, have been either murdered, knifed or arrested over knife-related incidents.

South Essex has not been left untouched by the sweep of the blade. In April this year, a 15-year-old Basildon girl was locked up for two-and-a-half years after admitting repeatedly stabbing her schoolfriend.

The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was caught on CCTV carrying out an attack on her friend at the Royal Court flats, Laindon, in November 2007.

Her victim was lucky to escape with his life after suffering wounds to his groin and thigh.

In Essex last year there were 869 knife-related incidents in Essex. Of these, 107 happened in Basildon, 136 in Thurrock, 190 in Southend, 35 in Castle Point and 12 in Rochford.

The figures were a slight drop on nearly 900 incidents which happened in 2006. During that year, of the 107 incidents in Basildon, three were fatal stabbings and of the 190 in Southend, one was also a knife-related murder.

Now the Home Office is hoping to reduce knife crime with a graphic new advertising campaign showing real-life knife wounds.

They include images of a man with a Swiss Army knife sticking out of his chest and a leg which has become gangrenous following a knife attack. The advert will go out on the radio, internet and be sent to mobile phones.

It shows a fictional medical lecture, using the images, which come from a genuine medical library.

Home office minister Vernon Coaker said he hoped the hard-hitting ads get the message across. He said: "I am in no doubt about the importance of tackling knife crime and this is even starker following recent tragic events.

"We know many young people carry a knife because they are fearful. These adverts tell powerful stories about the dangers of going down that path.

"People have got to get the message, if they carry a knife there's more chance of it being used against them."

But will the shock tactics be enough to stop the number of people being felled by blades?

Paula Binding, 35, of Blyth Avenue, Shoebury, knows only too well the heartbreak knives can bring. Her partner's brother Kevin Johnson, 22, was knifed to death outside his Sunderland home after confronting noisy yobs. The mum-of-two, who works as a security supervisor in Basildon, said the new campaign could help.

She said: "Those sorts of images will give people a shock and could get them to sit up and take notice.

"I would definitely support the advertising campaign, but I think parents need to get more involved because ultimately they are the ones who influence their children.

"The biggest problem seems to be people seem to get away or get off lightly with these crimes.

"We were lucky. Kevin's killers got 17, 16 and 13 years, but when they do go to jail it's like a holiday camp. They do need to bring in tougher sentences."

Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Ian Blair has said Kitchen knives have become the most used weapons in teenage stabbings and A&E doctors are calling for a ban on long, pointed kitchen knives to reduce deaths.

A team from West Middlesex University Hospital says kitchen knives are used in as many as half of all stabbings.

After consulting ten top chefs they found such knives have little practical value in the kitchen.

Billericay Tory MP, John Baron, said an advertising campaign was only "one small part" of the solution. He said: "We need to make sure would-be criminals they will be dealt with robustly by the courts if they cross the line.

"When detection rates for crime are so low, when court sentencing is so lenient and when prisoners are being released early because of overcrowding I think the wrong message is being sent out."

Mr Baron said he would encourage the authorities to go into schools to talk to children about knife crime, but agreed parents had to take responsibility.

He said: "All too often these gangs come about because there is not enough parental control and discipline and we have got to look at that."

The new advertising campaign goes live today.