Violent knife attacks across the country have been dominating the headlines, with the situation described as a “national emergency” and an “epidemic”.
Last year, stabbing deaths reached a 10-year high, and in 2019 at least 29 murder investigations relating to fatal knife attacks have been launched in London alone.
The victims have been both young and old. Teenager Jayden Moodie was just 14 when he was stabbed to death in Waltham Forest on January 8. Just two months later, shopkeeper Ravi Katharkamar, 54, become the oldest known victim this year, when he was killed during a violent armed robbery.
Now parents, politicians, police officers and celebrities are calling for an urgent stop to the seemingly relentless violence.
This month actor Idris Elba called for an end to the violence in an Instagram video, telling his followers: “You look even more stupid if you’ve got a knife, or you know someone that’s got a knife, tell them to stab themselves right now, trust me.
“Because you’re just going to stab your future if you go and stab someone else.”
So what can you can do if you are concerned about your safety, your local community, or a loved one?
A number of charities are offering support for young people and victims.
Childline has issued some useful advice for people who are concerned:
- For children and young people who encounter pressure to join a gang, the charity has published advice here
- Any young person who is worried or feels that they are in danger can call Childline on 0800 1111
- If you have witnessed or know something about an incident, but do not want to be identified, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Victim Support is a charity available for people who have been affected by crime, and includes a specialised ‘You & Co’ service for young victims of crime. Their support line is open 24/7, and can be reached on 08 16 89 111.
The Ben Kinsella Trust, set up in the name of a 16-year-old boy who was stabbed to death in Islington in 2008, runs a series of workshops for schools and individuals to raise awareness of knife crime and its devastating effects.
Ben Wintour founded Steel Warriors, a charity building public, free-to-use gyms using equipment made from melted blades.
“As a young person, if you find yourself in that scenario, look to positive role models in the community, look to your local youth centre, and find guidance from them”
He told HuffPost UK that there are a range of things that can be done for parents and young people who are concerned, including volunteering.
“If you have children yourself, keeping an eye on them and making sure that you’re aware of what they’re up to, how they’re spending their time, being supportive and present as a parent is a really important thing.
“Whether it’s checking through their stuff [to make sure] they’re not carrying anything they shouldn’t and that they’re not using their time in a way that is negative and might give reason to them carrying a knife, so I think that presence is a really important thing, and support.”
He added that youth centres, which have been in decline in recent years and often pointed to as a reason behind rising knife offences, are a useful tool for vulnerable young people to find guidance.
“As a young person, if you find yourself in that scenario, look to positive role models in the community, look to your local youth centre, and find guidance from them.”
Home Secretary Sajid Javid last month unveiled new “public health duty” plans to hold frontline workers such as teachers and nurses accountable if they fail to spot “warning signs” of violent crime.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Headteachers, said in a statement that schools already work in partnership with local authorities and police, but that the “problem for all these agencies is that they are all under-resourced and over-stretched.”
Javid has also proposed extended stop and search powers for officers, which are to be trialled across the seven police force areas which see the majority of knife crime offences, including London and Greater Manchester.
Politicians, charities, police and community leaders have attributed the spike in violent crime to different factors.
School exclusions, austerity, closure of youth centres, and drug dealing are among potential factors which various authorities have pointed to in a bid to piece together a picture of what some have called an epidemic.
A disproportionate amount of the victims have been male, in their 20s and 30s, and London has seen the highest rate of attacks.
Ben Wintour told HuffPost UK that bravado and feeling unsafe are some of the reasons that young people carry a weapon.
“One of the different reasons we have identified for why young people are carrying knives is bravado being an issue. This idea that if you’re carrying a knife, you think that gives you more respect.
“We need to change young people’s perception about what carrying a knife means and de-glamourise the object as well, so people don’t carry it as a symbol of respect or bravado, but rather, see it as a cowardly symbol.”
He added that young women, who are less likely to be stopped and searched, still need to be included in the conversation.
Some critics have also blamed falling levels of the controversial measure stop and search, which disproportionately target black men. The powers allow officers patrolling an area to stop anyone suspected of carrying a weapon, stolen property, or illegal drugs.
Here, HuffPost UK explores some of the reasons behind the spike in attacks.