The police and youth support group, Potential, launched an anti-knife programme in Croydon’s schools yesterday.

Les Persaud, father of murdered schoolboy Stefan Persaud, and Sergeant Simon Cook from the Addiscombe safer neighbourhoods team created the series of lessons in May to tackle what they saw as a growing teen violence problem in the borough.

Members of Mr Persaud’s group are friends of his son who all went to Stanley Technical High School. They were turned away from a life of petty crime and violence after the death of their friend.

Stefan Persaud was attacked after the group he belonged to clashed with the rival ‘Til Death gang in South Norwood, south London, in April 2005.

He was beaten with hammers, and punched and kicked. Three men were sentenced to life in 2006.

Stefan died 17 days after the attack from brain damage, when his life support machine was switched off in hospital.

Mr Persaud said: “I remember at my son’s wake, I told the boys that I did not want them taking revenge for Stefan’s death. I was not going to go to another funeral.”

The scheme comprises of five lessons covering knives, stop and searches, guns, gangs and safety networks.

Sgt Cook said: “We want to educate kids about their potential and the options they have.

“It’s about the choices they make and we want to show them how to make the right choice. It is about having positive influences and letting them know they have a safety network they can go to if they have any problems.”

The 10 children who came to the trial lesson were shown a video of a boy being stabbed in the process of having his mobile phone stolen. They then discussed what they saw with members of Potential.

The lessons are being piloted at three of Croydon's primary school in the hope that they will not only roll out across the borough, but across the capital too.

Youth worker, Leon Spence, 19, talked to the primary school children about what they thought of the video and how it affected the people shown in it. He said: “It was good that they opened up to us so much. When 10 and 11-year-olds are getting ready to go to secondary school they don’t realise it is a completely different ballgame.”

“When Stefan died I was in a bad way, at one pointed I really wanted to kill myself. I was convicted of GBH and as part of my punishment I had to go to Guildford prison and speak to some of the inmates. It was then that I realised that I had to change what I was doing in my life.

“I started going to college and now I am a part-time youth worker studying sociology at East London University.”

Oval School pupil, Tia Hayles, 10, changed her mind about carrying a knife after the lesson. She said that she used to think it was all right for people to carry knives for protection, especially if they lived in a rough area.

After the lesson she said: “I would take a knife if someone asked me to hold it for them but I would hand it straight into the police station.

“A lot of my friends have started taking self-defence classes because they know that you don’t have to have a knife to protect yourself.

“It is scary though because you see the news and you see so many things happening.”

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