Cheshire Police is looking at providing educational programmes focussing on the dangers and harm of knife crime.

The commissioner's police and crime plan includes a proposal to 'commission educational programmes where appropriate to tackle the scourge of knife crime and other serious violence'.

Cllr Judy Snowball (CEC, Lab), who is chair of Cheshire's police and crime panel, said at the panel meeting: "We've seen just in the last few weeks, across the country, young people losing their lives to knife crime, young people being taken into custody allegedly involved with knife crime.

"It's a scourge. It's a terrible challenge for our society."

She asked for more details about the proposed educational programmes.

Police commissioner Dan Price (Lab) said: "We recently launched such a program with the constabulary's consent campaign [educating young people on the importance of talking about sexual consent] which the office of police and crime commissioner was a part-funder in.

"We are also exploring a similar education campaign based in schools.

"I have been working with the chief constable on what that might look like and how we might fund that, using potentially some of the proceeds of crime funding that is available.

"I am committed to us doing more in this space, and I think we are currently evaluating the success of the consent campaign before we press go on another similar program."

He added: "When I was elected, we actually had a fatal stabbing in Ellesmere Port the day before election day.

"So I know this issue all too well and, I was in Ellesmere Port speaking to voters about that, and the real feeling that there was in the community about it.

"There's been a huge amount of community support around trying to get bleed kits into places like some of the pubs, and I'm keen to support that.

"If we were to do a program in this space, I'd be committed to making sure that we launched that initiative in Ellesmere Port as a place that so recently has been affected by it.

"So I hope that reassures you that it is on the horizon, and we're just fine tuning what it might look like and how it might be delivered."