Big increase in weapons surrendered outside Brierley Hill boxing club
Sixty-three weapons, including a crossbow and ammunition, were dropped into a surrender bin
A boxing coach says there’s been a huge increase in the number of young people using the knife bin outside the club.
Sixty-three weapons, including a crossbow and ammunition, were dropped into the bin outside Team Pumpkin Amateur Boxing Club, in Brierley Hill, in the last three months. That’s double the usual figure.
Carl Collins puts the success down to the prevention work they do with young people, who attend their free sessions.
“At first there was some suspicion and a stigma around the knife bin, with young people believing they’d get into trouble if they used it, so we had to address that,” he said.
“We have definitely seen a rise in figures and that just comes down to educating the children and winning their trust. They can go and tell their friends, come down here put the weapon in the weapon bin and if any of the coaches see you, we are not going to challenge you and ask where it’s come from or what it’s for. We just want to get it off the streets.”
The free boxing sessions this Summer are funded by the Violence Reduction Partnership’s My Tomorrow campaign.
Carl added:
“Brierley Hill is a deprived area, a lot of people haven’t got the money to go on holidays so the funding from the VRP’s My Tomorrow campaign is a lifeline.
“They can come train here all day; from the breakfast club until the evening session if they want to. It keeps them out of harms way, out of mischief and they can put their time to good use.”
Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands, Simon Foster, visited the club when the bin was installed last year.
He said:
“Every knife, blade or weapon dropped in one of these bins is potentially a life saved, which is why it’s so important we install them in areas where they will be well used and supported by the community. The passionate team of coaches at Pumpkin Boxing are doing a brilliant job.
“The number of weapons surrendered at this site alone has more than doubled in just over a year, which is a testament to the conversations that are happening inside."