AN anti-knife campaigner says primary school pupils need to be educated about knife crime after a shocking FOI revealed hundreds of incidents in the county's schools. 

A Freedom of Information request to Essex Police revealed 247 knife-related offences at schools in Essex between 2018 and 2023. 

Of these 120 incidents involved child victims. The FOI revealed the majority of perpetrators were white and male. 

Julie Taylor’s grandson Liam Taylor was 19 in 2020 when he was stabbed to death outside a pub in Writtle.

As a campaigner, Julie visits secondary schools as well directly speaking to convicted prisoners adding that she “dreads the day” she finally meets a prisoner who is not remorseful.

She believes it is critical to talk to younger children as she increasingly does not see the point in talking to 14 or 15-year-olds "when they are too far gone" and she says will not listen. 

Mrs Taylor said: “You need to talk to them when they are seven or eight, when their big brother or sibling is carrying.

“So, they don’t think its natural.”                         

Gazette: Missed - Campaigner Julie Taylor with a photograph of her grandson Liam Taylor who died aged 19 after he was stabbedMissed - Campaigner Julie Taylor with a photograph of her grandson Liam Taylor who died aged 19 after he was stabbed (Image: Submitted)                                                                               

Mrs Taylor revealed that some secondary schools will accept her bleed kits  but will refuse talks from her.

She said: “Schools, they don’t want the stigma, but every school has a got a kid who has a weapon.

“They taught stranger danger and how to swim and now this is the new way of life unfortunately.”

Steve Townshend, National Education Union (NEU) welfare officer in Essex said: “It is disturbing to see that the figures for knife crimes in schools appear to have increased over the last eight years in the Colchester area."

Mr Townshend added: “Most schools have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to having a bladed weapon on the premises and this is needed to safeguard both the students and the teachers.”

“Both the unions and schools want to see knife crime eradicated from our communities and will work together to achieve this.

"Many schools give good quality lessons on knife crime but without adequate funding of schools by the government targeted support and intervention by trained counsellors is less likely.”