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New campaign launched with murdered teen's family telling parents to 'check their children'
Parents are being urged to have open conversations with young people about knife crime and associated criminality, as part of a new campaign being backed by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) called “Check Your Children”.
It also addresses how criminal gangs are going beyond using traditional methods of incentivising children and young people, such as buying them the latest technology and clothes, and are using virtual rewards to entice them.
The campaign is being run by the charity Owen’s World, which was set up following the death of Owen Dunn, who was fatally stabbed in Swindon in December 2022.
Owen was carrying a knife at the time of the stabbing, and now his family are asking parents and guardians to look out for any signs that their children may be involved in knife or gang crime.
Zoe Mitchell, Owen’s mother, wasn’t aware Owen was in possession of a knife at the time of his death until she was informed by the police, and she has a clear message for any parent who thinks their child would never carry a weapon:
“I used to say that, I used say exactly the same thing.
“You’ve got to think, it could just possibly be my kid.
“It doesn’t hurt just to check them”
Natasha Gell is employed by the OPCC as the Serious Violence Duty Co-ordinator for Wiltshire and Swindon, and she understands the difficult situation it may create for carers if they have suspicions their children may be involved in gang related crime, or are carrying a weapon for protection:
“There might be a concern around asking those questions as you’re not quite sure where it might lead and what do you do when you get those answers, because nobody wants to report their child to the police.
“It’s important for members of the public to remember that the police are really engaged with recognising that many children and young people are being criminally exploited into criminal activity”
Signs a young person may be involved in County Lines activity include:
- disengaged from their usual friendship groups
- have new friends (especially older or unknown)
- have a new phone or multiple phones
- have new clothes or unexplained money
- spend more time than usual online or taking calls
- become secretive
As part of a tactic to get young people to work for them, criminal gangs are using virtual rewards which can be given and spent online, such as avatars and virtual currency, with parents and carers often being unaware of their existence.
Whilst the prospect of a child becoming involved in criminal activity is concerning, it’s also important to recognise that most young people in Wiltshire and Swindon aren’t involved in gangs and don’t carry weapons.
As Natasha Gell points out:
“We are aware from a survey that was conducted locally, that a lot of people, even children and young people themselves, believe that more of their peers are carrying a knife than are actually carrying.
“The survey showed that around 3% of children and young people would be carrying a knife. Most of them would let us know, colloquially, that the reasons anybody would be carrying a knife would be for self-protection.
“And the same survey highlighted children and young felt that around 19% of their peers might be carrying a knife.
“This misconception is really dangerous, because we are concerned that some of that 3% might be carrying a knife because they believe that lots of other people are too.”
Owen’s World want to reach out to parents and guardians who have concerns about young people in their family and make sure they know about the support available to them.
Trish Aldred is Owen’s grandmother:
“You’ve really got to question what they’re doing, because otherwise, you could end up the way we’ve ended up, losing our Owen.
“And we’ll never get over losing him”
Zoe hopes the campaign will make a difference:
“Some days I don’t even want to get out of bed, but this gives me something to focus on.
“If I can make one kid think twice about taking a knife out, then my job’s done”
Information on how to report a crime anonymously and about organisations who provide support for parents and carers can be found here:
Parents/guardians | Crimestoppers (crimestoppers-uk.org)
Criminal exploitation and gangs | NSPCC
www.facebook.com/owensworldfoundation
Report a crime | Wiltshire Police
