Teenagers praised by PCC for aiding fight against knife crime
10 February 2026
“I realised this really is an issue when my brother got chased by someone with a knife. I was really scared for him.”
The words of 15-year-old Daniela, one of five students at The Portsmouth Academy who have developed a smartphone app called Safe Edge to tackle the challenges of knife crime.
The team was given advice from members of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Violent Crime Taskforce in developing their idea.
Specialist officers provided valuable insights and resources to support their campaign.
PCC Donna Jones recently visited the Academy to speak to the students and see the app first hand. She said: “Apps like these have the potential to save people’s lives.
“These students really are an inspiration to their peers. They understand how raising awareness is vital if we’re to tackle the problem head on.
“Their slogan ‘Drop a knife, save a life’ epitomises that.
“My continuing concern is that some young people genuinely believe carrying a knife will keep them safe.
“Society as a whole has a role to play in trying to tackle the reasons behind that decision which is why I continue to invest hundreds of thousands of pounds into projects across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight which support young people at risk.”
Daniela added: “Social media plays a big part. There’s so much harmful content impacting mental health. The fact people can just access this is scary. If a young boy sees that and thinks if he carries a knife, he’ll look cool and go viral, then that’s really worrying. The fear of missing out is so bad these days, people will do anything.”
The team were awarded ‘Best Business’ in Portsmouth Engineering Training Association’s annual Apprentice vs Dragons Den competition to build, develop, and pitch their idea to address a pressing issue in today’s society.
Safe Edge includes videos and articles produced by the team, a map showing knife surrender boxes, and local resources for those who need help.
The app and presentation is now being used in Portsmouth Academy’s PSHE lessons on knife crime to highlight the dangers to the pupils with the aim to roll it out to schools across the city.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary is also continuing to work hard to tackle the issue, with the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics showing knife crime’s fallen by 27.6% here over the past two years.
The force carries out test purchasing throughout the year to make sure stores aren’t selling knives to under-18’s.
In the last week of action, 82 stores were visited in Havant, Basingstoke, Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. 9 shops failed and were referred to Trading Standards.
To find out more about the PCC’s Violence Reduction Unit visit – Violence Reduction Unit – Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner
The PCC is interested in hearing from young people who are forward thinking, interested in crime prevention and social action. For more information visit – Youth Commission – Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner
Safer Internet Day 2026 takes place on the 10th of February 2026, with learning based around the theme ‘Smart tech, safe choices – Exploring the safe and responsible use of AI’.
A collection of resources to protect yourself from fraud and cybercrime is available here