CHERIE Blair has urged parents to teach their children about the dangers of carrying knives.

After making the plea at a conference fringe debate on 'Broken Britain', the former prime minister's wife met victims of crime Helen Newlove, Sylvia Lancaster and Richard Taylor.

Helen Newlove's husband, Garry, was murdered outside his home in Warrington, while Sylvia Lancaster's daughter Sophie was kicked to death in a park in Bacup. Also taking part was Richared Taylor, whose schoolboy son Damilola who was stabbed in London eight years ago.

Mrs Blair praised them for turning their experiences into positive action and handed over her personal email address so they can stay in touch.

Dressed in Labour red but keeping away from some of the more controversial issues facing the party, Mrs Blair, an eminent human rights lawyer, shared the platform with high-profile panellists including Justice Secretary Jack Straw and former home secretary Charles Clarke in an energetic one-hour debate.

She said she did not believe Britain was broken and positive action was being taken.

Mrs Blair said: "Most of all I'm a parent and I have four children of my own and if there's one thing I can do and parents in this room can do, we need to tell our children that if they go out with knives they're not protecting themselves, they're actually making themselves more at risk."

She said she taught her children about safe sex and not drinking to excess and said parents had an obligation to make sure young people realised the dangers of carrying knives.

"We need to engage with young people. I think that young people are not a problem in our country but very much part of the solution."

Calling in the government to create a focused crime unit she said youngsters had to be taught respect and personal responsibility. But when the panel was asked whether Gordon Brown was the man to introduce the measures needed Mrs Blair, criticised for being outspoken when her husband was in office, said: "I'm not going to fall into that trap again."

Mrs Newlove spoke alongside Sylvia Lancaster, Richard Taylor and Brooke Kinsella, sister of stabbed teenager Ben Kinsella.

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Mum-of-three Mrs Newlove said: "It's not just police, we all have to work together and I say we have to interact with children."

The sentiment was echoed by Warwickshire's chief constable Keith Bristow - head of crime for the association of chief constables who told the victims he felt 'incredibly accountable' to them.

Mr Clarke said schools needed to engage with pupils about knife crime while Mr Straw echoed the tones of his conference speech saying that the criminal justice system needed to be more victim-focused.

He spoke of his family's own experiences of crime, including a bomb, burglary and his child being robbed at knifepoint, and said: "These even relatively less serious incidents of victimisation stay with you for life."

He addressed root causes of crime but said offenders had to take responsibility for their actions.

Sentencing and prison places were also debated.

Panellist Michael Gove, shadow children's secretary, said a more accountable police force was needed and claimed broken families and absent fathers were one of the root causes to be addressed.

This was disputed by Mr Straw and Mrs Blair who said she had grown up with an absent father and that while positive male role models were needed, they could be found in schools and the community.

Away from the conference, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith denied claims of broken Britain as she visited the Reclaim project in south Manchester, which she praised as an example of young people working to overcome stereotypes in their communities.

She said: "I think it would be better if we were talking that up, rather than talking down Manchester. We have seen really good progress in Manchester over the last year, particularly on gun-related violence around gangs."

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Conference interactive 2008