Idris Elba offers way to keep kids away from crime

Hackney and East Ham, the areas in East London where Idris Elba grew up, have been affected by knife crime.

To fix this, the star has made several efforts. Idris Elba: Our Knife Crime Crisis was one of them. This documentary sheds light on the impact of knife attacks on victims and their families.

Now, in a chat with The Mirror, Idris also weighs in on a new documentary, this time with King Charles III on his charity, King's Trust. 

Though the name of the project on Netflix has yet to be unveiled, in the interview, the Luther star stresses the 'alternatives' the men-in-charge can provide to the young kids to wean them away from the crime.

"If we are going to divert kids away from knife crime - we have to be able to offer them opportunities that they haven't so far been getting," he shares. 

He also gushes about the charity, which the Monarch set up in 1976. "The King's Trust does some incredible work, and we have to create these partnerships that get kids off the street."

Given his past experience of looking into horrific stories of knife crime, Idris shares, "There is a moral duty, knife crime is not just a criminal issue - it affects so many walks of life."

He continues, "Grieving families, overcrowding in prisons, problems in the school system. We have to get to the route of the issue - that's the only way we are going to see real change."

Not to mention, becoming a father also added more weight to the issue in the Emmy-nominated actor's mind. 

"People are so quick to talk about punishment and a minimum prison sentence, but it's about diverting these kids away at a much younger age before they even think about picking up a knife," Idris concludes, explaining his push for raising awareness on the matter.