Children at school in Wales, UK
© Reuters/Rebecca NadenChildren at a school in Wales.
A four-year-old was among more than 1,000 children caught in possession of a blade at school last year, with one child threatening a teacher that they we re going to stab and kill them, according to Freedom of Information requests.

Figures obtained from police through FOI requests by 5 News reveal that there were a total of 1,144 knife possession offences recorded in England, Scotland, and Wales over the past 12 months, where the suspect was a child.

Weapons seized by officers included hunting knives, machetes, and a samurai sword, with a police force in Wales called to one school where teachers were concerned that a four-year-old had a knife.

Details also revealed that an 11-year-old child in Manchester, who replaced the nib of a highlighter pen with a blade, told another pupil: "Listen to me or else I'll stab you."

Former teacher David Simmons has revealed that he was threatened with a knife by a six-year-old in the school he was working at in north London. Simmons explained that he attempted to calm the child down after telling other staff members he was going to stab them.
He then said he's going to stab me and kill me. At that age you just wouldn't have thought that a six-year-old should be doing that. Why were they doing that?
As a result of the ordeal, Simmons set up the charity 'Changing Lives', which gives opportunities to young people who are at risk of getting involved in gangs.

Responding to the FOI, a government spokesman claimed that their #knifefree campaign, which has caused widespread controversy for its alleged racist tropes surrounding fried chicken, is helping to challenge "the myth that carrying a knife makes you safer."