Doctors and police are pleading with Victorians to ‘drop the knives’ as shock stabbing data is released

A terrifying, emerging knife culture in Victoria has seen serious stabbings soar in recent months, with police and doctors pleading with people to lay down their weapons.

New data has revealed serious knife attacks are on the rise in Victoria.

The state’s major trauma hospital, The Alfred, said the number of life-threatening stab wounds it treated rose by 50 per cent over the summer when compared to the previous year, raising concerns about an emergent knife culture among young people.

The research showed there were 63 patients in total treated for stab wounds in December, January and February, majority of whom were men aged between 25 and 40.

Comparatively, 29 people were killed with knives or sharp weapons in 2020.

Deputy Head of Trauma at the Alfred Dr Meei Yeung said there is no such thing as a safe stab injury.

“It’s a bit like an iceberg, you’re only seeing the tip of it – a very long blade can cause a lot of injury but you won’t see it because it’s deep,” Dr Yeung said.

“If someone is stabbed, you cannot assume that the injury is not going to eventually kill them.”

The Alfred Hospital is the state’s major trauma hospital. Picture: Ian Currie

She said young people need to know that time is critical if someone has been stabbed, and an ambulance needs to be called immediately.

“You don’t know what’s happened, where they’ve been stabbed, what injury they have sustained, what organ has been injured,” she said.

The alarming surge in violence has prompted a campaign from Crime Stoppers, based on the UK’s program ‘drop the knife, save a life’.

The Victorian campaign is similarly entitled ‘lose the knife, not a life’ and aims to educate young people about the effects of simply carrying a knife.

Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius said one life cut short is one life too many

Crime Stoppers Chief Executive Victoria Stella Smith said when knives are involved in altercations, one person is at risk of going to prison and the other is at risk of death.

“You may end up in an incident that has escalated beyond what you could have imagined when you were in the comfort of your own home, making that decision to take the knife with you,” Ms Smith said.

Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius said one life cut short is one life too many.

“If you come across a knife in your kid’s clothes on laundry day or see one in their bag, please sit them down and talk to them,” he said.

If they use it, the consequences are devastating – for the victim, the families and even for the young offender going through the legal system.”

Workshops will be held in schools and community centres educating young people about the catastrophic dangers of knife violence.