A father is urging young people to speak up about knife crime to help save lives.
Martin Cosser, from Surrey, is backing a new campaign following the death of his 17-year-old son Charlie, who was fatally stabbed in in Warnham, near Horsham, in 2023.
Mr Cosser said: "Charlie’s death has left a hole in our family that can never be filled.
"No parent should have to experience the pain of losing their child to knife crime.
"There may be young people who know someone is carrying a knife but feel frightened, uncertain or worried about what will happen if they speak up.
"I want them to understand that they do not have to give their name or put themselves at risk.
"Even a small piece of information could prevent another young person from being hurt and another family from suffering the heartbreak we live with every day."
The campaign is being led by Fearless, the youth service of the charity Crimestoppers and encourages young people to share what they know about knife crime through anonymous reporting.
Recent YouGov research commissioned by Crimestoppers shows that in the South East, only 22 per cent of people believe young people would report knife crime to police.
However, this figure rises to 46 per cent if an anonymous reporting option is available.
Nationally, just 31 per cent of 16 to 25-year-olds would be very likely to share information with police if they knew someone was carrying a knife and thought it could result in serious harm or death, compared to 45 per cent of adults overall.
The Fearless.org website offers young people aged 11 to 25 a way to report crime anonymously, without sharing their name, contact details or any information that could identify them.
Reports made through the platform cannot be traced and are passed on to authorities without revealing the source.
Currently, only 35 per cent of 16 to 25-year-olds are aware of the anonymous reporting option through Crimestoppers, compared with 55 per cent of adults.
The campaign aims to close this gap and reassure young people that they have a safe way to speak up.
More information can be found on the Fearless website.
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