Met Police launches major anti-knife campaign

The Metropolitan Police is launching a major new campaign to stop young people from carrying knives. The ad, created by Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy, breaks today (September 1).

The hard-hitting TV ad shows a young boy about to go out, he hesitates before picking up a knife but decides to take it with him. As he walks away from his home and along the local streets, he is unknowingly followed by the many people affected by a stabbing, such as paramedics, police officers, surgeons, the victim’s family and his own family.

The advert also features pallbearers with a coffin and prison guards to demonstrate the “wide-reaching consequences of a momentary decision”. It has the endline, “Carry a knife, and the consequences will follow”.

The campaign aims to show that carrying a knife “seriously raises the stakes” and that minor situations can escalate with severe consequences.

The “trail of consequences” will be recreated in print for posters and flyers for schools and in a radio ad. There will also be an ambient procession to support the ad in London today (September 1).