Knife Angel leaves behind an important legacy

Residents and partners came together last night (Thursday 30 October) for a moving closing ceremony, hosted by Hertfordshire Constabulary and Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council.

The Knife Angel’s visit to Hertfordshire saw a month-long programme of intensive anti-violence youth engagement within Welwyn Hatfield and across the county:

• 31 schools took part in anti-violence interventions
• 6997 young people received a face-to-face anti-violence intervention
• 41 referrals were made for one-to-one intervention for young people at risk of criminal exploitation.
• 349 virtual reality sessions were delivered to young people on knife crime and exploitation
• 1613 Anti-Violence Ambassadors were recruited

Throughout the month, there was a host of activities at the Knife Angel including first aid workshops, police dog demonstrations and football sessions with Stevenage and Watford football clubs.

Last night’s ceremony saw speeches from Chief Constable Andy Prophet and Chief Executive of Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council Ka Ng, along with Welwyn Hatfield Chief Inspector Pete Frost, Police and Crime Commissioner Jonathan-Ash Edwards, MP Andrew Lewin, the High Sheriff of Hertfordshire Nicholas Buxton and Kaytea Budd-Brophy of Leaders Unlocked.

There were also musical performances from Everybody Loves Music, an inclusive programme for young people aged 10 to 30. Knife crime campaigner and spoken word artist Quinton Green also gave a motivational talk.

Welwyn Hatfield Chief Inspector Pete Frost said: “The Knife Angel has had a huge impact on the county and it has been pleasing to see the public’s positive response to it. It is clear that the issue of knife crime is important to the public and together with Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, we will continue tackling knife crime and violence. Our work does not stop with the departure of the Knife Angel. We’ve recruited over a thousand young people as Anti-Violence Ambassadors and they will help us to continue promoting anti-violence.

“In addition to the work with young people, throughout the month we’ve conducted operational work including warrants and knife sweeps. We’ve also been running a knife amnesty and the results of this will be announced in due course.

“I would like to say a big thank you to everybody who has played a part in this important project.

“Finally, I would like to finish with the message that there is never a good reason to carry a knife. We know that some young people believe a knife offers them protection but this is not true. Young people who carry knives are more likely to be injured by their own weapon. Please think about this if you are tempted to carry a knife.”

Councillor Sandreni Bonfante, Executive Member, Environment, said:

“We are proud to have partnered with Hertfordshire Police to bring the Knife Angel to Welwyn Hatfield for the first time. It was wonderful to see how the awe-inspiring Knife Angel statue made such an impact on the community, and how so many, especially young people, embraced and took part in the events over the past month, which were designed to raise awareness, spark conversations, and inspire positive change around knife crime. The closing ceremony was an excellent way to mark the end of this important initiative, and I would like to thank everyone who worked so hard to make it such a powerful and memorable occasion.”