Plymouth City College students were invited to collaborate with Devon & Cornwall police as part of their new knife crime campaign aimed at their peers.

The nine students wrote, directed and starred in two films which will now be shared and promoted by City College and Devon & Cornwall Police through various channels.

The force say young people sometimes have an inaccurate picture of knife crime in Devon and Cornwall, believing it to be as prevalent as in more urban locations which have particular issues with deprivation and gang culture.

This view may also be magnified by media reports.

This causes young people to carry a knife because they think they will be safer, but the stark truth is that carrying a knife can put a person in more danger of being involved in a knife-related incident.

By working with students at the college to create these videos, they hope that their perspective will resonate with young people, encourage them to seek information about knife crime if they are unsure and provide pathways to reporting and advice if anyone has any concerns about knife carrying.

The students screened both films to friends and family at the college along with special guest, Chief Constable James Vaughan.

Student and star of one of the films, Emma Webb-Goodwin said: “Knife crime is a growing concern in the population at the moment and this is to raise awareness and draw people’s attention to it.”

Teacher and Production Manager Tony Murphy-Jones said It was a chance for the students to learn and hone new skills which will stand them in good stead for their future careers and he praised the students for their hard work and professionalism.

Devon & Cornwall Police Force Lead for Knife Crime, Detective Chief Inspector Steve Fleetwood said “Knife crime in Devon and Cornwall is very low and we aim to keep it that way.

By working with students at the college to create these videos, we hope that their perspective will resonate with young people, encourage them to seek information about knife crime if they are unsure and provide pathways to reporting and advice if anyone has any concerns about knife carrying.

“We are very proud of the videos created by this team of young people and have really enjoyed collaborating with them.

“We hope to do so again in the future.

“In November, we launched our #NotTheOne website which provides information for all age groups around knife carrying, including educational packages for schools.

“These videos will be a really useful addition to our website and, we hope, will provide relatable information for young people and help them make the safe choices about knife carrying.”

CEO Principal at City College Plymouth Jackie Grubb explained: “Working with the police on such an important project has been a real privilege for our college and builds on our strong existing relationship.

“We were delighted that the police chose to involve our students, who rose to the challenge and handled such a serious and sensitive subject with impressive maturity.”

The videos will be available to view on YouTube and on the #NotTheOne website.

Young people can report information about crime anonymously via the Fearless website.