Knife crime in the UK remains a contemporary issue as another young life is lost.

On the 31st of May, bank holiday Monday, 14 year old Dae-John Reid lost his life at the hands of a knife. The young teenager was said to be Kingstanding area of Birmingham. He was stabbed around 7.30pm, leaving him with a fatal chest injury before passing away at the scene. There are reporting’s of the crime being racially driven, but this is yet to be confirmed.

Six people were arrested following the crime, with ages ranging from as little as 13 to 38. Two of the teenagers have been charged with the murder of Dae-John, one of them facing charges against him for possession of an offensive weapon. The others remain in police custody.

According to The Ben Kinsella Trust Knife Crime Statistics , there were 46015 cases of knife related offences recorded by the police in the year of 2020. There has also been a 71% Increase in knife crime in England and Wales since 2014.

Back in 1993 on the 22^nd of April, an eighteen-year-old boy called Stephen Lawrence also lost his life after being stabbed to death in a racially motivated attack by a gang of white men. A charity was set up in his memory originally called the ‘Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust’ which now goes by ‘Blueprint for all’. The organisation works with young, disadvantaged people to provide them with opportunities to thrive in their talents and work towards systemic change. You can learn more and support their work at BluePrint For All.  Since the loss of his life, we have recently celebrated the third annual ‘Stephen Lawrence day’- find out more at https://stephenlawrenceday.org/

Over time there have been numerous attempts to spread awareness of the knife crime issue in the country. In 2018, A statue of an angel made entirely from 100,000 confiscated knives travelled around the UK on an ‘Anti-violence’ as a preach for social change. The statue was labelled a ‘national monument against violence and aggression’. For more information about the Knife angel and the ‘Anti violence tour’ visit: https://www.britishironworkcentre.co.uk/show-areas/the-knife-angel-official