Sharing his thoughts on the statistics of knife crime in the U.K., the One Direction member encourages his followers to throw away their weapons and find their power in other things.

• Mar 5, 2019

AceShowbiz - Liam Payne has recalled his childhood mugging incident in a bid to encourage young British fans to throw away their knives.

The former One Direction star is spearheading a campaign to urge his 32 million-plus Twitter followers to lose their weapons after discovering there were 99 stabbings in the Birmingham area, near where he grew up, over an eight week period.

The singer, who was born in Wolverhampton, has shared his own experience with knife-related violence in an effort to hammer home the terror of being robbed by a blade-carrying thug.

In a Twitter conversation with the Birmingham Mail newspaper, he says, "I was held at knifepoint by a man in Bilston when I was 12 and me and my friend were robbed. Luckily that was all that happened and me and my friend walked away with our lives not everyone is so lucky."

I had to respond ... I was held at knifepoint by a man in Bilston when I was 12 and me and my friend were robbed luckily that was all that happened and me and my friend walked away with our lives not everyone is so lucky ... any support you need count me in #knifecrime

— Liam (@LiamPayne) March 4, 2019

The 25-year-old admits he's horrified by the numbers of people being killed as a result of knife crime in the U.K., adding, "Having a knife in your pocket doesn't make you any more of a person."

I’m with you completely having a knife in your pocket doesn’t make you any more of a person it makes you a risk put it down and don’t become a statistic find your power in other things that make you become more and greater than you ever thought you could be

— Liam (@LiamPayne) March 3, 2019

"It makes you a risk. Put it down and don't become a statistic. Find your power in other things that make you become more and greater than you ever thought you could be."