Daily Echo launches campaign to get knives off the streets Knives cause untold heartache to innocent families and bring violence and terror to neighbourhoods across Hampshire.
Today the Daily Echo is taking a stand - and demanding that they are removed from the streets.
We are launching a campaign that calls for communities to help bring an end to the suffering caused by blades.
It comes just days after Lewis Singleton was stabbed to death as he walked home after a night out.
The drive has already been given the backing of scores of the popular teenager's friends and family members who turned out yesterday in an emotional tribute to the 18-year-old.
The campaign aims to encourage youngsters to think twice about carrying a blade and serve as a warning about the impact which using one can have.
It follows our report on how police in Southampton have introduced new emergency stop and search powers in a bid to curb the city's growing knife culture.
All officers now have the power to stop and search people or vehicles for weapons, without having to give a reason.
The system is likely to continue into next week but is under review every 24 hours by Southampton's chief superintendent Paul Stickler.
They have also imposed regular patrols on the streets of the city - and in particular Woolston, where Lewis was fatally stabbed - as they strive to cut out knife crime.
A dedicated team of six officers have been tasked with the patrols in a move to reassure the public and keep the streets safe.
Lewis died hours after being stabbed during a disturbance in Obelisk Road in the early hours of Saturday morning.
A post mortem examination revealed he had suffered knife wounds to his stomach.
He is the fourth person to have died as a result of stab wounds across our communities.
In February this year teenager Dele Little died after an incident in Totton. In March, care worker Sarah Merritt and disabled Sue Hale, both lost their lives after being knifed.
Yesterday scores of Lewis's friends gathered with family members in a bid to make something good come from the tragedy that has impacted on all their lives.
Wearing specially printed white t-shirts with a picture of Lewis on the front and his nickname "ruffian" printed on the back, they joined together in the city centre to highlight the call for people to ditch their knives.
Josh Edgeworth, 18, from St Denys, said collectively they had wanted to ensure something positive came from Lewis's death.
He said: "We want to raise awareness for everyone on the streets about knives and the danger they are. Something needs to be done. We have lost someone very close to us all. We don't want to lose anyone else in this way."
Josh, a father of one, and Lewis had been close friends since they were young.
"He was such a happy, bubbly person. He was always having a laugh. He loved his football and music. We have been to see his parents and we had a laugh as we remembered what a good guy he was. It was hard seeing them, but coming away from there I felt a lot better."
Lewis's cousin Matt Hawkins, 18, from Sholing, said he felt compelled to try and make people think twice about carrying a knife.
"What we are doing is not going to stop knife crime forever but the more people get involved and the more we raise awareness the better.
"I want people to stop carrying knives and to make people aware of the dangers. It only takes seconds to ruin so many people's lives."
Friend Lewis Reed, 18, from Woolston, said: "I don't understand why someone would ever want to go and stab someone else. Carrying knives is something that needs highlighting, starting with parents and in the schools where youngsters can be taught about the dangers from day one.
"There are other ways of dealing with a situation than with a knife and people need to be aware."
The campaign has also received the backing of Hampshire police, who are currently analysing knife crime in the city and have launched an urgent review that involves reopening case files from the past six months.
Detective chief Inspector Jason Hogg, the force's lead on knife homicide reduction, said: "Officers will conduct searches and if you are found in possession of a knife you will be arrested and prosecuted.
"The sentence for being found in possession of a knife is doubling this year under the terms of the new Violent Crime Reduction Act from a maximum of two years in prison to four years.
"There is never justification for carrying a knife, all you are doing is putting yourself and others at risk.
"We wholeheartedly support the Daily Echo campaign to reduce knife crime in this county."
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