© NCCL Galleries of Justice, Nottingham

Exhibition notice: 'Dr Isaac Massey Presents His Grand Emporium Of Criminal Curiosities from the Cabinets of Crime' from next week at the Galleries Of Justice, Nottingham.

The Galleries of Justice Museum of Crime and Punishment in Nottingham will be launching a new free exhibition on July 19 2008, focusing on the worrying increase of gun and knife crime on our streets.

Guns and knives confiscated from the city streets are to be displayed in the 'Instruments of Fear', one of the seven 'scenes' in the exhibition. Nottinghamshire Constabulary donated original street weapons to the museum after the weapons were gathered in during an amnesty.

© NCCL Galleries of Justice, Nottingham

"Although we have had to upgrade our security for this, as a museum of Crime and Punishment we felt we had a duty to show these weapons to the general public,” said Tim Desmond, CEO of the Galleries of Justice. “What comes over is how inhuman and deadly they are."

While the museum in Nottingham is focusing on objects to inspire debate on the issue of violent crime, its education provider, the National Centre for Citizenship and the Law (NCCL) looks to prevent violence by intervening with children as young as nine, giving them alternatives to the carrying of guns and knives. The NCCl will be commencing a new programme 'ARC Why guns and knives?' in Wandsworth, September 2008.

This exhibition notice was written by Culture24's Year 10 work experience intern, Harry Semple.