Idris Elba argues against mandatory prison sentences for carrying a knife

Idris Elba launching the Don't Stop Your Future campaign in Parliament Square, London, on 8 January. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

Idris Elba has argued against mandatory prison sentences for carrying a knife amid a deepening public discussion over how to tackle an “epidemic” of street violence.

The actor and campaigner said there was no “one size fits all” that would banish weapons, and warned against criminalising young men caught up in a cycle of violence.