EXCLUSIVE: Bereaved Luton mum urges immediate action on knife crime
Fiona Namusoke is calling for more youth support and knife amnesty bins after another teenager was killed in Luton
A Luton mother whose teenage son was stabbed to death is urging authorities and the community to do more to tackle knife crime after another teenager was killed in the town.
Fiona Namusoke, from the Lewsey area, lost her 16-year-old son, Ashraf Habimana, after he was fatally stabbed in 2023. Ms Namusoke was on her way to collect Ashraf from college when he was stabbed.
Now, after another teenager lost their life last week – 17-year-old Bilal Nasir - Fiona is urging action to be taken to prevent further losses.
Speaking exclusively to Greatest Hits Radio, Ms Namusoke said: “I remember when I was giving one interview and I said, ‘I don't want another parent to face what I faced’ - Now it has happened again.
“It's really, really heart-breaking and I know the pain the parents are going through.”
“This is the time for us to get together, as a community in Luton. We don't need to wait for another child to be stabbed for us to act. We need to act now”, she said.
Ms Namusoke believes that there needs to be more community hubs and youth spaces to help deter young people away from knife crime and gangs.
“I think teenagers are bored. They're looking for things to do and how to be entertained”, she said.
She added: “Every year somebody passes away. A child is killed.
“All those who pass away, they are teenagers. They are youngsters, they are the future of tomorrow.”
Fiona is also fundraising for more amnesty bins to be implemented in Luton, as part of the Ashraf Habimana Foundation in her son’s name.
“A child will think twice if it sees an amnesty bin. Even if it saves one child's life, that will make a big difference.”
A link to the fundraiser is here
'We haven't got a magic money tree'
Police recorded 584 knife offences in Luton in 2025 - that's an average of more than 11 incidents a week, according to figures from a Freedom of Information request submitted by Greatest Hits Radio.
That compares with 553 offences recorded in 2024, an increase of 31 offences to the previous year.
Bedfordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), John Tizard, said more needed to be done to tackle knife crime but warned that limited funding meant difficult decisions had to be made.
He said: “My Office funds quite a lot of activity. We will always be looking to target that more effectively, but we haven't got a magic money tree and there are many competing demands on limited resources."
The PCC also said: “More needs to be done to tackle knife crime in Luton, across Bedfordshire and across the country. The more we can do to prevent knife crime, the better.
Adding: “Knife crime is high and we're seeing that it's not always young people. So, we've got to look much more at prevention; making the weapons used less available, if not available at all.”
Community to stand together
The community in Luton is planning to come together to stand against knife crime, as a peace walk has been organised in the town.