Leeds United are supporting a campaign of education and awareness around knife crime which is running in the city this month following the arrival of the imposing Knife Angel sculpture.
The 27-foot tall figure, created from over 100,000 seized blades by the British Ironwork Centre, is on show outside the Royal Armouries Museum throughout February to highlight the negative effects of violent behaviour and the need for change.
Its arrival in the city heralds a comprehensive programme of activity, led by the city’s community safety partnership Safer Leeds and supported by the West Yorkshire Violence Reduction Partnership, to engage and educate young people as part of the city’s continued response to serious youth violence.
A free programme of learning opportunities is running throughout the month with secondary schools given the opportunity to book in for specialist learning sessions at the Royal Armouries Museum.
The month of activity officially kickstarts Project Shield, which is the city’s longer term co-ordinated response to knife crime, based on a more positive and hopeful conversation with young people, underpinned by a strong partnership approach to identify and protect those most at risk.
Councillor Debra Coupar, Leeds City Council's executive member for resources with responsibility for Safer Leeds, said: “As a city we take knife crime and violence in general very seriously and it’s something we and our partners work hard to address with young people and their parents or guardians.”
Leeds District Commander, Chief Superintendent Steve Dodds, said: “The root causes and driving factors around young people involved in knife crime are much wider than policing alone and it is only through everyone across our communities playing their part that we will continue make progress.”
West Yorkshire’s Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Alison Lowe OBE, said: “We each play a crucial role in turning the tide on knife crime and rejecting those behaviours that can lead to unimaginable heartbreak for families and communities.”
If you would like to pass on information about knife crime anonymously, please visit www.fearless.org.
