PC Alan Hancock has been working with young people at Burngreave After School Study Support, to help them understand the dangers of weapons and drugs. The young people explained what it was all about:
Yusra Ahmed, age 12
Throughout the last couple of weeks we have been learning about gun and knife crime as well as cannabis in sessions with PC Hancock.
The first week included learning about guns, the different types there are and how much harm they can cause. We learnt how many years imprisonment you could face for assaulting or killing someone.
The second week PC Hancock showed us some images of knife wounds; most of them were fatal and the attacker got a long time in prison.
The third week we were given a slide show about cannabis, it was really interesting because we saw what effects cannabis had on people.
I think the knowledge we have and will gain will help us in our later life.
Sarah Alabbadi, age 13
I have learned the harm that gun crime can do to you and knife crime and the different types of guns there are.
We have been working in groups and we have learnt about the many young people who have died because of gun and knife crime. This is because many young people feel they have to carry guns and knives for protection.
Secondly we learnt about a drug called cannabis. Cannabis is a type of flowering plant, we also found out that cannabis can be harmful and un-harmful to people.
I feel that I have learnt a lot through the past few weeks. This has improved my understanding on gun and knife crime and the effects that drugs can have on you.
Shaista Shukar, age 12
Guns are now a major crime, especially with youngsters carrying guns around which they think makes them look cool. But do they actually know what trouble they can cause? One single bullet can cause death or serious injuries.
People think having a gun will bring safety for themselves and their family members. But they are wrong. It causes even more trouble and causes even more consequences to face like a criminal record, jail, loss of a relative or family member, loss of their own life.
Police take “BB guns” off children in public places as whatever looks like a gun is a gun, even if it is a fake. If anyone sees you with a gun, they’ll call the police and if you point the gun at anyone you could be shot at by police – they think you’re a threat to their life.