Calzaghe in plea over knife crime

Joe Calzaghe and South Wales Police Chief Constable Barbara Wilding

Joe Calzaghe said he did not want knife crime to escalate in south Wales

Undefeated boxing champion Joe Calzaghe has urged children to take up his sport instead of turning to knife crime.

The light heavyweight champion said young people carrying knives was a "big problem" and stressed the importance of education in preventing such crimes.

Calzaghe, from Newbridge, south Wales was speaking at the Cardiff launch of a police anti-knife crime DVD,

"Hopefully...if you bring back boxing to schools like they used to, those problems wouldn't happen," he said.

"Children growing up wouldn't think they had to carry a knife and do cowardly things like that to prove something."

Calzaghe is unbeaten in 46 professional fights - the last against American Roy Jones Jr in Madison Square Garden in New York in November 2008.

For many people, life on the streets can be tough but the use of knives is not the answer

Joe Calzaghe

He said he wanted to help highlight the issue as he has two young sons.

He said: "Being my local area, it's a big problem that's happening right now.

"Having two children myself growing up in the area, compared to other cities in the UK, it's pretty safe, but I want to keep it that way.

"At the end of the day, we don't want things to escalate like they have in some cities with these crimes.

"If you educate children from a young age and get the message across like we're doing today, then that's going to put them on the right line in their lives."

Calzaghe added: "For many people, life on the streets can be tough but the use of knives is not the answer.

Calzaghe's last win in the ring was against Roy Jones Jnr

"My advice to young people is to find something productive that you like doing just like I have, and do it to the best of your ability - it has worked for me."

South Wales Police are distributing 500 copies of the At Life Point interactive DVD.

Det Insp Paul Hurley, who led the project, said: "This will raise awareness in relation to knife crime, and educate and prevent those who are vulnerable within our community."

The film, launched at the Odeon cinema at Cardiff's Red Dragon Centre to an audience of about 250 people, was produced after consultation with 11 to 18-year-olds.

Mr Hurley added: "We looked at the knife issue nationally and decided that we would work with young people within the south Wales area to identify the key messages they wanted to get across in relation to knife crime.

He said the DVD will now be rolled out, together with lesson plans, throughout schools, youth offending teams and youth clubs.

Its target audience was those between the ages of 11 and 18, as they are "vulnerable to carrying knives", the officer added.

Mr Hurley said the force wanted to emphasise the message that "if you carry a knife, you're likely to use a knife, and if you use a knife, you're likely to take a life".