Colleges Week 2025: Education is Key to Keeping Britain’s Streets Safe

The UK government’s ‘Take Back Our Streets’ mission is a bold and necessary response to rising crime rates and anti-social behaviour, particularly violent crime involving young people. This initiative is built on prevention, enforcement, and legislative reform, aiming to restore trust in law enforcement and create safer communities.

“This Government has put prevention front and centre of our plans to improve the lives of people across the United Kingdom and is taking ambitious action to reduce violent crime. This includes a commitment to halve national levels of knife crime over the next decade as part of the delivery of our mission to make our streets safer.”
— Dame Diana Johnson, Minister of State (Home Office)

Activate Learning firmly believes that education is one of the most powerful tools in crime prevention. By engaging young people in meaningful learning, supporting their wellbeing, and creating safe spaces, we play a critical role in steering vulnerable young adults away from violence and towards brighter futures.

How Further Education helps tackle youth crime

Colleges are not just places of learning—they are communities that offer young people structure, purpose and belonging. This is particularly crucial for students who may be at risk of exclusion, disengagement, or involvement in crime, such as county lines drug running.

As a group of colleges, we work to:

• Engage young people in education and skills-based training, thereby keeping them off the streets.
• Support NEETs (Not in Education, Employment or Training) by helping them find their path back into education or work.
• Provide a sense of belonging for disenfranchised and marginalised young people, helping them build confidence, a sense of accomplishment and self-esteem.
• Create safe spaces where students can seek support, find mentors and access resources that help them to make positive life choices.

The reality of knife crime in the UK

Youth-related knife crime in the UK has surged over the past decade, with a 94% increase in offences involving knives or sharp instruments. This growing crisis demands urgent action from society.

The UK Government’s recent Crime and Policing Bill states that tackling knife crime is a priority and it is determined to halve knife crime in a decade, as part of its Safer Streets Mission.

Further Education colleges play a vital role in prevention by providing education, support and safe spaces that steer young people away from violence.

The latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures reveal the shocking scale of knife crime in the UK:

• 55,008 knife-related incidents were recorded in the year ending September 2024.
• 57 young people under 25 were murdered with a knife or sharp object in 2023-24, including 17 under the age of 16.
• London remains the most affected region, with 17.89 knife crimes per 10,000 people.

Real stories: Turning tragedy into action

In the wake of the horrifying statistics around knife crime in the UK, Activate Learning take knife crime awareness education very seriously. We are honoured to work with individuals who have been personally affected by knife crime and are now using their experiences to educate and inspire others.

Claire Nelson, a Performing Arts tutor at our Oxford city-centre campus, has experienced first hand the devastating impact of knife crime. Following a terrifying family ordeal, she channelled her emotions into writing and performing Motherhood, a powerful one-woman play that explores the far-reaching consequences of knife violence.

Claire’s advocacy didn’t stop there. Her fundraising efforts led to the installation of four emergency bleed kits in Oxford city, providing vital first aid resources in the event of a stabbing. Her story is a testament to how education and awareness can drive real change.

Claire’s future ambitions aim to take her work beyond traditional theatre spaces, reaching audiences who might not typically engage with the subject. Alongside the performances, she plans to launch a project encouraging families affected by knife crime—whether through a young person’s involvement or the risk of it—to share their experiences.

Charlie’s Promise: Turning loss into prevention

A key organisation we work with is Charlie’s Promise, a charity dedicated to preventing knife crime through education and awareness. The charity was founded by Martin Cosser, after his 17-year-old son, Charlie, was murdered in July 2023. His tragic and senseless killing shook his family, friends and community.

While Charlie was on life support, his dad, Martin, promised Charlie that he would dedicate himself to raising awareness of knife crime and the devastating impact it has—not just on victims, but on their families and friends.

The charity works to:

• Educate young people on the dangers of carrying a knife.
• Encourage anonymous reporting of knife carriers, helping to prevent potential attacks.
• Provide guidance on what to do if caught in a dangerous situation involving a bladed weapon.

Charlie’s Promise works in collaboration with Activate Learning by visiting our campuses to share Charlie’s story through powerful sessions. These talks leave a lasting impact on students, bringing to life the harsh realities and devastating consequences of carrying a knife, as well as educating them in how to anonymously report a knife carrier.

Other ways Activate Learning keeps our students safe

We take student safety seriously, and our Safe Students, Safe Staff, Safe Spaces initiative underpins everything we do to create a safe environment where students can thrive and reach their full potential. We believe that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and this campaign is a testament to our commitment to ensuring a secure and supportive environment for all, in line with our award winning Learning Philosophy.

Safeguarding and Student Support

Our dedicated Safeguarding and Student Enrichment teams work across every campus, offering:

• Safeguarding advisors who support students worried about their own or someone else’s wellbeing.
• Behaviour and Welfare officers, wellbeing advisors and counsellors, ensuring a holistic approach to student support.
• Close and trusted working partnerships with police, children’s services, and charities like Charlie’s Promise to deliver knife crime education.
• Every student receives safeguarding training when they start college, covering topics such as:
  • Preventing extremism and radicalisation
  • Online safety
  • Exploitation and county lines
  • Healthy relationships and consent
  • Mental health and wellbeing

Practical safety measures on campus

We have also introduced several practical safety measures to ensure our campuses remain safe spaces:

• The mandatory wearing of ID lanyards: Required for all students, staff and visitors to enhance campus security.
• Extensive staff first-aid training: Over 500 staff members already fully trained, with numbers increasing monthly.
• Public access trauma kits: Bleed kits installed across campuses, with staff training planned for emergency response.
• Regular lockdown drills: Ensuring staff and students are well prepared for potential security incidents.

The importance of attendance and positive behaviour

We know that consistent attendance plays a crucial role in keeping young people engaged and on the right path. That’s why we:

• Encourage high attendance – Keeping students engaged and focused on their studies.
• Take a Positive Behaviour Management Framework led approach – Promoting respect, inclusion, and proactive conflict resolution.
• Employ Learner Voice Initiatives – Ensuring students feel heard through events like the annual student conference, allowing them to shape their college experience.

“Our priority is to ensure that every student feels safe and supported, both inside and outside the classroom. By fostering strong relationships, offering guidance and providing safe spaces, we help young people make positive choices for their future.”  – Millie Ellis, Director-Designated Safeguarding Lead at Activate Learning

Education as a force for change

All anti-social behaviour including knife crime is a crisis that cannot be solved by law enforcement alone. Education, mentorship and community support are vital in preventing young people from becoming victims or perpetrators of violence.

Activate Learning is proud to be part of the solution. By providing safe, supportive, and inspiring learning environments, we help students develop the skills, confidence and aspirations to build brighter futures.

Further reading:  

• Labour.org – take Back Our Streets
• Ben Kinsella Trust
• Government Mission – Safer Streets
• Association of Colleges