Young people need to realise there is nothing glamorous about carrying a knife and we must send a clear message to offenders that knife carrying will not be tolerated in today’s society.

Recently we have seen the emergence of a worrying trend in relation to knife crime. We have seen both intensification in the severity of offending and a worrying change in the age profile of offenders and victims, which has decreased from mid-late teens to early twenties down to early-to-mid-teens. The Police Service and its partner agencies are working extremely hard to reverse this trend, and look to others to help us.

I know Charlton Athletic prides itself on the close relationship it has with the local community and is an advocate of the Kickz programme which aims to create safer, stronger and more respectful communities through the development of young people's potentialy.

Tackling knife crime requires each and every one of us to ask what we can do to help - that’s parents, neighbours, agencies, business and the media. That is why the work Charlton Athletic is doing within the community to tackle social behaviour and youth crime is to be commended.