Month of events to celebrate the Knife Angel

The Knife Angel is an amazing national anti-violence monument, and its visit will be used to launch a month-long campaign to educate local communities about the dangers of knife crime and violent crime.

The month of activity will commence with an opening ceremony on 1 October, in Welwyn Garden City town centre, and during the month the force and partners will be running county-wide events, initiatives and competitions. A knife amnesty will also be held to raise awareness of knife crime and educate, especially amongst young people, on the dangers of violent crime.

The month of action will conclude on 30 October with a closing ceremony, held once again in the town centre, to celebrate all that has been achieved during the month, and to ensure the Knife Angel’s legacy leads to a permanent reduction of knife and violent crime in the county.

Dozens of events have already been organised, with more to follow. Visit our Eventbrite page to find out what is going on in your area.  

As part of the campaign Hertfordshire is also looking to recruit thousands of Anti-violence Champions from mainly young people in the county, however anyone can apply. Anti-violence Champions renounce violence and make the conscious decision to solve all problems in a peaceful and non-physical manner, they will play an integral and extremely important part in the Knife Angel’s mission to create social change.  

Chief Inspector for Welwyn Hatfield Pete Frost said:

“We are delighted to be hosting the Knife Angel in the county. Knife crime and violent crime may be low in Hertfordshire, compared to many other parts of the country, but it’s a great opportunity to work with our local partners to get the message across, especially to young people, that violence and knife carrying isn’t the answer to their problems.

“This is a unique chance to bring all of our communities together to tackle the causes of knife crime and violence. We’ve had lots of local people and organisations wanting to get involved and I welcome any volunteers who would also be interested in helping to bring about a lasting change in Hertfordshire and develop a culture where carrying knives and violent behaviour is not acceptable.”   

Councillor Sandreni Bonfante, Executive Member for Environment at Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, said:

“The Knife Angel is a powerful memorial to all those who have lost their lives to knife crime and a reminder of the devastating impact it has on individuals, families and communities. We are proud to support this project and determined to create a lasting legacy that encourages people to choose lives, not knives.  Working in partnership with the police, we are delivering a programme of cultural and educational projects that highlight the dangers of carrying knives and shows how we can all work together to prevent knife crime and build safer communities.”

If you would like further information on support services relating to knife crime contact: Fearless.org.

Visit www.herts.police.uk/knifeangel to find out more about the Knife Angel, events and getting involved. 

We are also keen to hear from anyone who would like to get involved in running events for the Knife Angel or would like to volunteer, please contact us via: KnifeAngel@herts.police.uk.

You can report information about knife crime online or speak to an operator in our Force Communications Room via our online web chat.

Alternatively, you can stay 100% anonymous by contacting the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via their untraceable online form.