North Yorkshire Police and One Punch UK team up in new campaign to prevent tragic deaths

The Punched Out COld campaign will initially target men aged 18 to 35 at pubs, bars, gyms and sporting clubs over the summer holidays, and again during the festive period.

Then in September, coinciding with One Punch Awareness Week between September 18 and 22 , there will also focus on secondary school children.

In the past year, there have been four such incidents in our area.

While still rare, North Yorkshire Police is determined to quickly reverse this worrying trend by adopting an early intervention and prevention approach.

The force has teamed up with One Punch UK to increase awareness among younger adults and secondary school children.

Maxine Thompson-Curl, Chief Executive Officer of One Punch UK, is urging revellers and secondary school children alike to “stop, think and walk away” to avoid the consequences of a one punch tragedy.

She and her husband Anthony launched One Punch UK to raise awareness about the issue after her son, Kristian, died aged 19 after being punched in the head during a night out in Consett, in September 2010.

Maxine said: “The Punched Out Cold campaign is so important to educate people what a single punch can do and the devastation it can cause.

“The fists at the end of your arms are readily available, and you have to think about what you’re doing as that one decision could ruin a lot of lives – it’s that ripple effect.”

Maxine is also urging licensed premises and bar staff to be more alert to those who may drink to excess – a contributing factor to many one punch assaults.

Det Chf Insp Jonathan Sygrove, from North Yorkshire Police’s Major Investigation Team, said: “As police officers, we see first-hand the devastation caused by one punch incidents resulting in serious injuries and death.

“However, the sheer and continuous impact it has on parents, family members and friends, is something that Maxine and One Punch UK can explain in truly heart-breaking detail.”

North Yorkshire Police’s Licensing team and local authority partners will be working closely with pubs and bars about this issue while Neighbourhood Policing Teams will also be distributing posters and talking to members of gyms and sporting clubs.