Knife crime has parents rushing to sign children up for karate

KNIFE crime has prompted an increasing number of parents to sign their children up for self-defence lessons, a martial arts association has said.

Between 2017 and 2018, nearly 10 per cent of children in England signed up to judo, karate and taekwondo lessons, up from 6.4 per cent the previous year.

Giovanni Soffietto, director of the British Martial Arts and Boxing Association, said: “A lot of parents come to us after noticing a spike in knife crime in their area. They want their kids to feel safe,” Mr Soffietto said.

On Wednesday, it was revealed that knife crime offences handled by the criminal justice system last year reached their highest level for a decade, at 21,484. At least 43 people have been fatally stabbed in the UK this year, including 17-year-old Jodie Chesney, who was killed in a park in east London on March 1.

The number of people who died as a result of knife crime in the year to March 2018 reached 285, the most since 1946.

In his Spring Statement earlier this week, Philip Hammond, the Chancellor, announced an extra £100million for police to deal with knife crime.

In response to the crisis, the martial arts association is running a “Fighting Chance” programme in schools across the country, urging knife-carrying children aged up to 16 to ditch their blades for martial arts.

Mr Soffietto added: “It seems like it’s a massive issue and the Government are throwing money at the problem. But it just seems like a bit of a closed door and feels like we’re banging our head on the wall.”