A PCSO has penned a powerful message to those who carry knives.
It comes after a teenage boy ended up in hospital following a fight between school kids in Burnage on Thursday morning. Blades are understood to have been used in the fracas.
The officer warned that Cringle Park could have ended up the site of a memorial, alluding to images of floral tributes as a heartbroken family and friends cry and comfort each other.
Luckily, the boy's injuries were not life-threatening.
The worrying incident happened in the same week police went into schools to warn kids about the harsh reality of knife crime as part of a force-wide crackdown.
An investigation is underway into what happened at the park.
No arrests have been made.
PCSO Orla Lynch shared the message on GMP Fallowfield, Withington, Levenshulme and Burnage's Facebook page.
Read more of today's top stories
"Even if you're just messing around, stab someone in the wrong place and it could be fatal," she said.
Here is PCSO Lynch's post, in full:
"Yesterday, it was brought home to us all just how close we are to knife crime... how close any one of us could be at any time.
"Police were called to Cringle Fields Park, Errwood Road, in Burnage shortly after 8am yesterday morning in relation to a fight between school children.
"15 years of age they were...with knives...fighting each other over something most probably insignificant. This violence needs to stop.
"These are your children...your younger brothers, cousins, nephews, friends.
"If yesterday went horribly wrong, as we know it can, Cringle Fields Park could be the site of a memorial today, laden with floral tributes, balloons and teddies in an outpouring of sympathy by the community to another meaningless victim of crime, and full of national press headlining the story.
"You might be carrying a knife as you are worried that someone is after you and you might want to protect yourself.
"But that is not the way to go about it. Carrying a knife and using it will not protect you from prosecution.
"And also carrying a knife, and then threatening to use it on someone could be turned back on you, if they overpower you then all of a sudden, in the blink of an eye, you've gifted them a weapon that could be used on you.
"If you know anyone who is carrying a knife, please urge them not to.
"Please contact us if you have suspicions and can't get the message through to your loved one about the dangers of it and we can try and help too.
"We all have a duty here to make sure our kids are aware of the dangers of carrying a knife.
"With the availability of knives, it’s about making people – in particular young people – aware that carrying a knife, or using a knife in violent circumstances has enormous consequences, sometimes tragic."
