Shropshire's Knife Angel fourth plinth petition gathers pace

The Knife Angel, created at the British Ironwork Centre in Oswestry, is made from around 100,000 knives either confiscated by police or handed in as part of a knife amnesty.

Ironwork Centre boss Clive Knowles is urging the public to sign the petition as part of a campaign to install the monumental sculpture on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square – but work has already been selected for the plinth up to 2022.

“With support online and on paper at the centre, we’ve had around 35,000 signatures,” he said. “When people come to the centre and see the angel, they are much more inclined to sign the petition because it moves them. We will get to 100,000 signatures so it will be debated in the House of Commons.”

The aim of the statue is to raise countrywide awareness of Britain’s knife crime epidemic but Mr Knowles says the government is shying away from dealing with the growing problem.

“For some reason they don’t want to see the Knife Angel in Trafalgar Square,” he said. “They say the fourth plinth is already booked up. Next year it will be an elephant which has nothing to do with UK issues.

“The government is complicit in allowing knife crime to rage on.

“How many more people have to die or get fatally wounded before they actually do something?

“The sooner we get this petition to the House of Commons, the better. We will hit 50,000 by the end of the year.”

Mr Knowles revealed Nottinghamshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner is making a bid to bring the monument to his city.

Paddy Tipping believes the sculpture would send a clear message to anyone carrying weapons in Nottingham.

“London should be ashamed if they let the Knife Angel go elsewhere,” Mr Knowles added. “We’re experiencing an extraordinary amount of knife crime, aggression and violence in this country and the Knife Angel could be the catalyst to turn the tide.” The petition is also online at surrenderyourknife.co.uk.