Knife Angel: Anger as Shropshire built sculpture snubbed
The sculptor behind Shropshire’s iconic Knife Angel today criticised leaders in London for refusing to put the artwork on Trafalgar Square’s fourth plinth.
Alfie Bradley created the 26ft sculpture as part of a campaign backed by police forces across the UK to highlight knife crime.
About 100,000 knives were surrendered by every police force in the country to build the national monument as a memorial to those affected by knife crime.
It was hoped the artwork, created at Oswestry’s British Ironwork Centre, would feature in Trafalgar Square to inspire people and spread a message about the impact of street violence.
Mr Khan’s refusal comes despite a petition being signed by 35,000 people and support from police chiefs from around the country.
West Midlands assistant police and crime commissioner Lynette Kelly has given her backing to the sculpture going to London and today said she would be writing to Mr Khan to support the sculpture’s inclusion.
Other cities have come forward to take the monument with Nottinghamshire’s police and crime commissioner, Paddy Tipping, revealing he is set to make a bid to bring the sculpture to his city.
Mr Bradley said: “London would have been the best place for it to go and for it to start on a tour around the country, but they just won’t admit that they have a problem with knife crime. Maybe the problem there is too late to solve.”
The sculptor recently saw the problems London has with serious knife crime first hand. After appearing on The One Show to talk about the two years it took for him to create the angel, the sculptor went on for drinks with friends.
He was in a pub near to an incident that saw a man on a bike stabbed in the street.
Mr Bradley added: “It does have a problem, I saw that first hand in London when I was there. I was walking down the street with friends and we had gone into a pub.
“I didn’t see the incident but the police came into the pub to ask us what had happened, and we discovered a man had stabbed another man who was on his bike, and then stole his bike.
“It is ironic that I appeared on the show earlier that evening to talk about problems with knife crime, and then this happens.
“It shows there really is a problem that London isn’t admitting.”
After the sculpture was snubbed by the London Mayor’s office earlier this week, Clive Knowles from the centre vowed to keep up his push to have it installed on the fourth plinth.
He said he will not stop efforts to have new laws put in place, and believes an exception should be made to put the Knife Angel on the London landmark.
Mr Bradley, who is currently working on other projects for the future, said if London doesn’t want the sculpture, he wants his artwork to go up north, possibly to Manchester where he has family connections.
He said: “It is crazy they don’t want it, but I want it to go to another city because people need to see it to understand the message it shows. It is good that other cities have come forward to take it. People need to see it now to understand.”
