Overview

• Leanne Lucas, a survivor of the Southport knife attack that claimed three children’s lives, has officially launched the Let’s Be Blunt campaign advocating for rounded-tip kitchen knives.
• The campaign, supported by public figures like Idris Elba and the Prince and Princess of Wales, aims to reduce knife crime by limiting access to pointed blades in households and stores.
• Preliminary research from De Montfort University suggests rounded-tip knives are less likely to penetrate clothing during repeated stabbing attempts compared to pointed knives.
• Crime and Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson has begun consultations with retailers and manufacturers to explore regulatory measures for promoting rounded-tip knives.
• Lucas’s advocacy is rooted in her personal trauma, as she has not used a kitchen knife since the attack and continues to experience hypervigilance and fear in everyday settings.