A NORTH Yorkshire-based children's author has been working hard to help educate young people on knife crime and county lines drug dealing.

To raise awareness on the subjects, Award winning Yorkshire author an Honorary Member of the NSPCC Council Christina Gabbitas delivered a session on International Youth Day with Sergeant Steve Dundon of Lancashire policing team.

The event was open to all in communities and was attended by charities, youth groups, police personnel, councillors and foster carers.

Christina, based in Selby, said: “I wanted to show the audience the story resource that I deliver into primary and secondary schools to help educate on the topic of being groomed, county lines and the consequences of carrying knives.”

Christina’s story was published in February last year and was a finalist on the People’s Book Prize.

An animation of the story that focuses on a group of friends who are groomed into county lines, suffering the consequences of carrying a knife, was also launched in February and launched online which was attended by police personnel, teachers, youth workers and Violence Reduction Units from areas such as Leeds and Nottingham.

Christina is working with 26 schools with North Yorkshire Police and 12 schools with Humberside Police, to help educate children and young people. This is funded by both Police and Crime Commissioners, Philip Allott in North Yorkshire and Jonathan Evision in Humberside.

Christina said: “It’s very reassuring to know that I have the support of the police and the Police and Crime Commissioners with my resource that was initially funded by Humberside to work and engage with children and young people on the topic of knife crime and knife crime.

"I have visited both primary and secondary schools with police officers and PCSO’s and the session is well received by teachers and children alike.”

The author is also in talks with West Yorkshire Violence Reduction Network and has the support of the Regional Organised County Lines and Regional Organised Crime Unit for Yorkshire and the Humber.