Shropshire Knife Angel sculptor now taking on gun crime
A knife amnesty that led to a giant angel sculpture being created in Shropshire has been so successful that the man who came up with the idea is now turning his mind to firearms.
More than 100,000 knives handed into special surrender bins or confiscated by police have arrived at the British Ironworks visitor centre near Oswestry where most have been incorporated into a statue.
The project has been so successful that Clive Knowles from the centre has pledged to continue until 250,000 knives are off the streets and every police force in the UK is involved. He is also looking ahead to getting involved in a firearms amnesty.
"Unfortunately there are three or four police forces that haven't got involved or who just want to make a token donation. But that is not what we wanted to do and so we are now contacting the police and crime commissioners," he said.
"We wanted to see our 'Surrender your knife, save a life' bins across every force in Britain. We have had fantastic support from so many forces, including West Mercia, Greater Manchester and the biggest contributor, the Met. It still sends us deliveries of surrendered and confiscated knives regularly."
Mr Knowles said that the massive contribution from the Metropolitan Police was the reason he was so passionate about seeing the finished knife angel, sculpted by Alfie Bradley, put on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square.
The campaign for the sculpture to go to the capital is being supported by North Shropshire MP Owen Paterson. "The knife angel statue is the only memorial ever created with the Home Office and so many police forces working together. It deserves to be on the fourth plinth," he said. "It was created to raise awareness of knife crime and there can be no better place for it than one of the most prominent spots in our capital city."
He said offences involving the use of knives or sharp instruments increased by nine per cent to 29,306 offences last year.
"We have seen a general downward trend over the longer-term, but these weapons are often used in a number of terrible crimes."
Mr Knowles said he would like to extend the project in the long-term to a firearms amnesty.
"To see just how many knives are on the streets has made me realise that we also need to have a look at guns and firearms."
