'We persuaded police to rethink sharing images of knives'

""In some cases, these images are being used for intelligence purposes," Bipin Khanal, a former young adviser to London's Violence Reduction Unit, told me. He said he was aware of young people resharing those images and discussing how to "protect themselves". "It's a misconception that carrying a knife protects you, but some people aren't informed of such things," the 27-year-old said. "They see a scary image online and they want to pick one up too.""

"In October, following a three year campaign by City Hall's Young People's Action Group (YPAG), the Metropolitan Police agreed to reform its policy on sharing images of knives on social media. Metropolitan police Aged between 16 and 24 years old, the role of YPAG members is to advise and scrutinise the work of the violence reduction unit (VRU), which selects applicants who have "lived experience of exploitation, school exclusion and violence". Concern over the Met's social media posts has been a key topic."

"Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Ward said that, in the past, the Met had hoped the images would "give parents knowledge and information" so they could talk to their children. "We also wanted to show knives so people understand when we use our stop and search powers, the importance of them and the kind of weapons we're recovering as a result of using those powers properly," he added."

Police social media posts have displayed seized weapons such as machetes and zombie knives. Some young people say those images can increase danger by prompting resharing and guiding peers on how to "protect themselves" or choose weapons. A former young adviser said images are sometimes used for intelligence and can encourage carrying knives despite misconceptions about protection. After a three-year campaign by the Young People's Action Group, the Metropolitan Police agreed to reform its policy on sharing knife images. YPAG members, aged 16–24, advise the Violence Reduction Unit and raised concerns about showing violent weapons and locations found.

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