Teenagers have been praised by Hampshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones after developing a smartphone app aimed at tackling knife crime.
The innovative app – called Safe Edge – has been created by five students at The Portsmouth Academy to help raise awareness of the dangers of carrying knives and to signpost young people to support.
The team worked closely with members of the PCC’s Violent Crime Taskforce while developing their idea, receiving guidance and specialist input from police officers to strengthen their campaign.
Police and Crime Commissioner Jones recently visited the Academy to meet the students and see the app in action.
Donna said:
“Apps like these have the potential to save people’s lives.
“These students really are an inspiration to their peers. They understand how raising awareness is vital if we’re to tackle the problem head on.
“Their slogan ‘Drop a knife, save a life’ epitomises that.
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Donna continued:
“My continuing concern is that some young people genuinely believe carrying a knife will keep them safe.
“Society as a whole has a role to play in trying to tackle the reasons behind that decision, which is why I continue to invest hundreds of thousands of pounds into projects across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight which support young people at risk.”
Daniela, 15, one of the students behind Safe Edge, explained the personal motivation for getting involved:
“I realised this really is an issue when my brother got chased by someone with a knife. I was really scared for him.
“Social media plays a big part. There’s so much harmful content impacting mental health. The fact people can just access this is scary.
“If a young boy sees that and thinks if he carries a knife, he’ll look cool and go viral, then that’s really worrying. The fear of missing out is so bad these days, people will do anything.”
Safe Edge features videos and articles produced by the students, a map highlighting the location of knife surrender bins, and details of local support services for those seeking help.
The project was recognised at Portsmouth Engineering Training Association’s annual Apprentice vs Dragons’ Den competition, where the team won the ‘Best Business’ award for building, developing and pitching their idea.
The app and accompanying presentation are now being used in PSHE lessons at The Portsmouth Academy to highlight the risks associated with knife crime, with hopes it can be rolled out to other schools across the city.
Meanwhile, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary continues to target knife-related offending. The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show knife crime has fallen by 27.6% locally over the past two years.
Officers regularly carry out test purchasing operations to ensure retailers are not selling knives to under-18s. During a recent week of action, 82 stores across Havant, Basingstoke, Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight were visited – with 9 failing and referred to Trading Standards.
Safer Internet Day 2026 takes place on 10th February under the theme ‘Smart tech, safe choices – Exploring the safe and responsible use of AI’.
Unbelievable.
Great to read.
I have read on Google road safety issues present a more
frequent widespread danger to residents according to
data for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
I for one would like to see a crackdown re road safety
on the island.
Everytime I drive on Island Roads it feels ‘UNSAFE’
I feel much safer when driving in Portsmouth
they have many 20mph zones, 30mph zones and
speed cameras, something the Island lacks.
In the meantime keep up the good work.
donna gone ott with the jabs!