Local campaigner supportive of UK first anti-knife crime scheme
Kent Police have been running a rounded knife trial
A Swindon anti-knife crime campaigner has expressed support for a new scheme trialled in Kent.
As reported exclusively by our Kent team, the county’s police force has been offering families to swap their pointed knives for rounded-edge alternatives.
Since the scheme’s introduction last year, Kent Police have seen knife crime figures go down by 17 percent.
Jordan Turner, who runs Change Lives No To Knives in Swindon, told Greatest Hits Radio: “I feel like Kent’s knife replacement scheme is a brilliant idea to help prevent injuries and help the wider picture of knife crime. It’s nice to see that they are doing something to make the community a safer place.”
Up until now, Kent Police have removed almost 350 knives from homes and exchanged them for 81 rounded-edge blades.
Research at De Montfort University in Leicester has shown that blunt knives are unable to cut cotton or skin.
According to researchers, the blades are also less attractive for young people to carry around as they do not look as intimidating as pointed knives.
“Everybody seems to think that knife crime has to be a big machete or a zombie knife. That’s not the case”, explained Ms Turner.
“I lost my brother Lee in 2021 and he was stabbed once in the chest with a kitchen knife.
“Having round edges will bring the injuries down regarding knife crime and it would just be a safer place for all.
“In the heat and despair of the moment, some of these young people are just grabbing the knife and not thinking twice. It works out better like that because the blade hasn’t got a point.”
So far, only families who have lost someone to knife crime and vulnerable families are eligible for the scheme.
This means that someone in the family needs to have been arrested for knife crime or have come to the attention of police.
However, Ms Turner thinks it should be available to “all the community”.
“I think it should be for everybody not just those who are at high risk or those who have been convicted for knife crime in the past. Everybody should have the same equal opportunity.”
Nevertheless, Ms Turner would support it if the scheme came to Wiltshire as well.
“I would definitely support Wiltshire Police if they took on this scheme”, she said.
“Anything to do with reducing knife crime is a positive step and a step in the right direction, especially when it comes to kitchen knives.”