COMMUNITY SAFETY
Bin knives, not lives
Ealing Council is working
hard to tackle knife crime
in the borough and, with
the number of incidents
in London rising over the
last year, a strategy is
being put in place to help
keep young people safe.
Philip Brent reports.
A
and knife bins, coupled with enforcement
action, are a key component to our
strategy going forward. We know that
this blight is having a serious impact on
young people and their families across
the borough and that many may be
carrying a knife out of fear. It is vital that
we make it possible for those walking
around with knives to safely and easily
surrender them.”
Borough police commander Paul
Martin said: “Our job is to tackle crime
head-on and to reduce the incidents
of knife crime and make it safer for
people and their families to go about
life feeling safe.”
s part of the borough’s knife
crime and serious violence
strategy, more than 10
WORKING WITH SCHOOLS
knife bins will be installed
The council and police have been
in the coming months with the aim of
working alongside schools to raise
taking weapons off the streets,
awareness and educate pupils
by providing an easy way of
– not only about the
getting rid of them safely.
very real dangers of
The bins will be placed
possessing a knife
t
in busy areas so they are
a
o
e
Watch vid
not hard to find. Any
o.uk /
wsextra.c
knives will be disposed of
ealingne
/ knife
f e a t ur e s
by the police unless there
is an obvious sign one has
been used in a crime.
However, the strategy
does not just focus on people
surrendering weapons, it also looks
at educating young people, reducing
youth violence, making sure offenders
are brought to justice and supporting
victims and their witnesses.
Councillor Joanna Camadoo, the
council’s cabinet member for inclusion
and community safety, said: “Tackling
knife crime is a top priority for this
administration. We are taking swift action
but also the stark facts that anyone
caught in possession of an illegal knife
can face up to four years in prison;
while those convicted of using them to
attack someone can face a minimum jail
sentence of 10 years.
Every high school and college can
be provided with a knife ‘wand’ that
can detect hidden weapons as part
of a London-wide initiative with the
Metropolitan Police.
Councillor Yvonne Johnson, cabinet
member for schools and children’s
services, said: “Recognising the
importance of prevention and working
alongside schools is vital for dealing with
this complex issue. Raising awareness
through safeguarding sessions and
appointing a safer schools officer to all
schools within the borough provides the
right education for young people.”
Read the full story at
ealingnewsextra.co.uk/
features/knife
Borough commander Paul Martin
and Councillor Camadoo
around ealing February 2019
23