Young people invited to inspirational Lives Not Knives event

Young people, parents and professionals in Hertfordshire were invited to an event on Tuesday 4 March, to raise awareness about the reality of serious violence and knife crime.

The Lives Not Knives event, held at Hertfordshire University, was hosted by Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Child Criminal Exploitation Prevention and Diversion team and featured inspirational guest speakers who shared their own experiences of violent crime. 

More than 50 people attended the event, which was also supported by Chief Superintendent Nick Caveney and Hertfordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Jonathan Ash-Edwards and overseen by Judge Mensah from Wood Green Crown Court.

The audience heard frank accounts from paramedics detailing their experience with the initial response to serious violence and knife crime and the impact that it has. They then heard from Chris Baker who spoke about how his young life was shaped by adverse childhood experiences, which led him to make a series of choices ending up in prison and losing his arm in an incident. He spoke about how he made the choice to turn his life around and is now inspiring other to do the same.

The event concluded with a powerful talk from Alison Cope, who spoke about the loss of her son, Josh, who was murdered. She also shared a music video, Depzman – Life Cut Short, which was created using deep fake technology to bring her son's music back in a powerful anti-knife crime campaign.

After the event there was a range of support services in place such as the charity, Change Grow Live, and services for young people, along with pizza and drinks that were funded by Welwyn Hatfield Council. This gave the young people the opportunity to speak one to one with the speakers for help and advice.

Hertfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Jonathan Ash-Edwards, said: “Hertfordshire residents deserve to feel safe in their communities, and tackling knife crime remains a priority, especially to keep young people safe. Knife crime has fallen in our county over the last five years, but work is constantly needed to keep up this progress. Through strong enforcement, intervention and community engagement, the constabulary and I are committed to reducing serious violence and the fear of crime.”

Child Criminal Exploitation Prevention and Engagement Sergeant, Helen Croughton, said: “These events are a great way to interact directly with young people, parents and those that work with children. We invite people with real world experience of gangs and violence to speak about how their lives have been affected. Young people are more inclined to listen to those that have been through similar situations to the ones they may be facing, and hopefully make better decisions as a consequence.”

Anyone who is concerned about gang or knife crime can call the Hertfordshire Constabulary non-emergency number 101, in an emergency always call 999.