Knife Awareness workshop takes place at the Angel Centre

Last week a workshop at the Angel Centre in Salford has aimed to reduce knife crime and educate people on the dangers of carrying a knife.

The workshop was put on by Missing Link Martial Arts club, led by Heero Miketta and Gary Bee.

Miketta says: “We noticed a need for a knife awareness workshop. Knives are a huge risk in England, it dominates the media and we got a lot of requests about it.

Explaining how more and more people are carrying knives, he says: “People feel stronger with a knife, it becomes a crutch for their self confidence.

“The point of the workshop is to show people who consider carrying or using a knife, how risky it is and how bad the injuries can be.

“It’s a way to work against knife crime by informing people and giving them a chance to get involved.”

In the workshop, people were asked to use an open red pen to draw a line where the wound would be, which Miketta says: “Is quite scary, when you draw on someone with a pen, and you see what would’ve happened if it was a knife.

“We try and make it fun, even though it’s a horrible topic.”

Knife Awareness Training in Salford last Friday: Good group, lots of knowledge, quite a few bruises. A difficult topic, but lots of fun. pic.twitter.com/N0Mc7yYz0T

— Mcr Martial Arts (@McrMartialArts) March 2, 2020

Ex security forces, Gary Bee speaks about the importance of avoiding these dangerous situations. He says if you find yourself in danger: “The best thing to do is leg it. leave your ego at the door. Just run.

“The best advice we can give is not to carry knives.

“My advice, and Missing Links advice to anybody who is confronted with someone who is going to rob you is: give them what they want, and then run.”

“One of the most important things is tactical awareness. Know your surroundings. If you are caught by surprise it doesn’t matter how big you are, how strong you are or how trained you are.

Catia Santos, attendee of the workshop says: “I’ve been to one of the knife awareness workshops before and it’s always useful to learn new things. It’s good to feel a bit more confident and self aware.”