West Midlands Police is the territorial police force responsible for the metropolitan county of the West Midlands. It is a national leader in tackling serious youth violence and has consistently invested in innovative, community-led strategies. Through initiatives such as Operation Fearless, the force demonstrates its commitment to crime prevention, early intervention, and collaborative working with schools and public sector partners.
About the Campaign
In a pioneering move to tackle the ongoing issue of knife crime, West Midlands Police collaborated with Bauer Media and The Arthur Terry Learning Partnership (ATLP) to deliver a powerful knife crime awareness campaign aimed at young people.
The initiative centred on a one-day Creation Station workshop at Stockland Green School in Birmingham. Designed to educate and empower students, the day focused on helping pupils develop and share their own knife crime awareness messages using the tools of professional audio storytelling.
The interactive workshop included:
- Scenario-based games to challenge myths and spark open conversation
- Screening of a conceptual video titled “Where’s That Knife Now?”, to provoke thoughtful discussion
- A West Midlands Police-led session on the law, facts, and consequences
- First-hand accounts from a guest speaker personally affected by knife crime
- Creative writing and scripting exercises guided by the Hits Radio team
- A studio-quality audio production session to record the students’ final 40-second adverts
Client Testimonial
Georgia Patterson, Campaigns Officer, West Midlands Police:
“West Midlands Police are always looking for innovative and creative ways to talk to our local residents about the things that matter most to them. The Creation Station allowed us to engage with young people in Birmingham on a difficult topic and gave them an opportunity to have their voice heard by thousands across the Bauer network. A huge thank you to the whole Bauer team for helping us achieve some fantastic results.”
Martin Cross, Assistant Headteacher, Stockland Green School:
“Our students were truly captivated by the workshops. Sessions like this provide hugely important real-life lessons. Thank you to West Midlands Police and Bauer Media for enabling such an important session.”
Emma Russell, Bauer Media:
“Collaborating with pupils from Stockland Green School was truly inspiring. We hope these adverts raise awareness and empower other young people to choose a safer path.”
Success Measures
- Student engagement: Over 30 pupils took part in a full-day interactive workshop at Stockland Green School
- Empowered voice: Students, some of whom were identified as ‘at risk’, developed and recorded their own knife crime awareness messages
- Broadcast reach: 40-second adverts were aired across Bauer Media’s national network, including KISS, Magic, Absolute Radio, Hits Radio and Kerrang
- Wider impact: Over 250,000 targeted digital audio impressions delivered across the West Midlands
- Media content: Two professional videos – one campaign concept, one event overview – extended the learning reach through online platforms
- Long-term strategy: Embedded within Operation Fearless and supporting the wider Operation Advance agenda in Birmingham
Summary
This collaborative knife crime awareness campaign exemplifies how police forces can work meaningfully with schools and media partners to reach young people on their terms. West Midlands Police empowered pupils to become creators, not just consumers, of safety messaging, equipping them with skills, knowledge, and a voice.
With Bauer Media’s broadcast strength and Stockland Green School’s proactive support, the result was a campaign that educated, inspired, and resonated well beyond the classroom.