'Young people should report worries about knives'

A campaigner whose teenage son was fatally stabbed has urged young people to speak up if they have concerns about knife crime.

Martin Cosser, whose 17-year-old son Charlie was killed at a party in West Sussex, made the comment as he launched a film to raise awareness about the youth service Fearless.

He said the service, run by the charity Crimestoppers, allowed information about crime to be reported anonymously.

"Young people fear telling parents [their concerns around people carrying knives] because they don't want to worry them," Cosser, from Surrey, told the BBC.

"They worry about telling teachers because they think somebody will find out.

"Some of them, unfortunately, just don't trust the police.

"They need another lifeline - and this life is Fearless."

Cosser said that reporting concerns about people carrying knives could help early interventions and ensure opportunities were not missed.

"There are a lot of young people that have lost their lives," he said.

"You don't get a second chance in life."

Cosser previously told the BBC his wife Tara still messages their son every day to say she loves him.

The campaigner said he had given talks to more than 100,000 children since Charlie's death in 2023.

He has also set up the charity Charlie's Promise, which worked with Crimestoppers and Fearless to co-produce the film.

Cosser has previously called for children as young as nine to be taught about the dangers of carrying knives.

"Young people do want to do the right thing - they just don't know how," he added.

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