Hemel Hempstead's young people invited to Lives Not Knives event

Young people in Hertfordshire are being invited to an online event to listen to the experience of former gang members, victims and police officers recounting their experiences of violent crime.

The Lives not Knives event, hosted by Hertfordshire Police’s Children and Young Persons team, will be broadcast on Instagram on Thursday, July 23, between 6pm and 7.30pm.

The online event will feature inspirational guest speakers, who will be talking about their own experiences of knife crime and gang culture.

The guest speakers will include Alison Cope, who has spoken at schools and conferences around the country about her experiences of knife crime and the devastating impact it has had on her life.

Darren Awolesi, will also be talking about living with the long term consequences of serious violence.

The event which has been organised with Herts Sports Partnership can be viewed @entercareermode on Instagram. The speakers will be answering questions from the online audience following the event.

Every young person who visits the site during the broadcast will get a free goody bag from the Herts Sports Partnership.

Sergeant Helen Croughton from the Gangs and Schools team said: “We are very excited about our first live broadcast and think this is a great way to reach a large number of young people who cannot usually attend our events.

"This will give them an opportunity to learn from the experiences of people who have been involved in gangs and violent crime and to ask questions anonymously.

“I would like to thank the speakers who took part and shared their stories, Herts Sports Partnership and our partner agencies who have been involved in making this event possible.”

Anyone who is concerned about gang or knife crime can call the Hertfordshire Police non-emergency number 101.

Young people who need help and advice about these issues can visit: www.herts.police.uk/cyp.