3:25pm UK, Thursday May 29, 2008

The mother of a knife attack victim has rubbished a Home Office shock advert campaign to tackle the crime.

Stabbed with knife and screwdriver

Ann Rock's son, Christopher, was the target of an attack in 2006. The 21 year old was stabbedsix times in an unprovoked attack outside his home in South Wales.

He nearly died after receiving wounds in the arm, back, lung and diaphragm - one narrowly missed his heart.

But Ann accuses the initiative that aims to prevent further such attacks of lacking weight.

"I don't think it'll do any good", she said. "It's a waste of money. They should go to the grassroots and do something in the community.

"Something gritty, like taking them into hospitals to see the effects first hand. Kids will just laugh at this."

She spoke out as the Metropolitan Police announced the first results of their anti-knife crime initiative, Operation Blunt 2, which began in London two weeks ago. 

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Ian Blair said 210 people have been arrested and 4,277 stop and searches made.

The Home Office's shock campaign comes as a series of adverts. They are aimed at teenagers and were devised by teenagers.

A viral video shows bloody injuries sustained in knife attacks, and one postcard style advert carries an image of a hand mutilated by a knife.

Two radio adverts put across the emotional impact of such attacks.

Christopher's attacker, 19-year-old Luke Witherstone, was found guilty of attempted murder and sentenced to 15 years in jail. Although Christopher survived, it has affected the way the whole family now live.

"I don't like going out on my own now, even young girls come up to you and mouth off", said Ann. "When I was young we were terrified of the police, it's not like that now.

"There's no discipline anymore, you can't even smack your children. But I don't know what the government can do. Some of them come from pretty good families and they try and follow the gang. They think it's big to carry a knife."

The new adverts will particularly target mothers, who will be encouraged to talk about the danger of knives with their children.

 

Home Office minister Vernon Coaker said: "I am in no doubt about the importance of tackling knife crime and this is even starker following recent tragic events.

"Any incident involving a knife is one too many and we are determined to take tough action against those who carry them."

The adverts will be played from Monday and the postcards will be handed out to kids by teams on shopping streets.