Birmingham, UK – 2nd October 2023 – Round Midnight, an award-winning creative arts and EdTech company, has reached out to Croydon MP and Policing Minister Chris Philp to urge him to use their virtual reality (VR) solution, Virtual Decisions KNIVES, to educate young people about the dangers of knife crime.

Virtual Decisions KNIVES is an immersive VR film that allows participants to make decisions about whether to carry a knife and experience the consequences of their choices. The film was developed in collaboration with West Midlands Police and has been praised by experts as a powerful tool for preventing knife crime.

In 2022, Chris Philp tried Virtual Decisions KNIVES after being alerted to it by a Croydon resident. At the time, he was the Secretary of State at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. He said, "It really is a most engaging piece of technology and I think there is some significant potential for this to have a significant impact in tackling gang culture and reducing knife crime."

Stuart Lane, founder of Round Midnight, said, "We are calling on Chris Philp to use his position as Policing Minister to make Virtual Decisions KNIVES available to schools and youth organizations across the UK. This is a proven tool that can help to save lives."

Stuart Lane has also urged MP Taiwo Owatemi, Co-Chair of The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Child Criminal Exploitation and Knife Crime to get the programme in front of MP’s.

“They’ve seen the programme, praised its effectiveness and now it's time for them to act” said Stuart.
Knife crime is a major problem in the UK, with over 40,000 knife crime offences recorded in the year ending March 2022. Virtual Decisions KNIVES is a unique and innovative way to educate young people about the dangers of knife crime and help them to make better choices.


Head Teacher Describes Virtual Decisions KNIVES as "Cutting Edge"
Sara Laurenceson, Executive Headteacher at Ince Primary School in Wigan said, "I've seen somebody in my school who was potentially in grave danger, Virtual Decisions: KNIVES completely and utterly changed the trajectory of that young person's life. The legacy of this is going to be a community transformed."