Hertfordshire to welcome the Knife Angel

Hertfordshire Constabulary and Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council are delighted to announce that the county will play host to the Knife Angel, in Welwyn Garden City town centre during October 2025. 

The Knife Angel, designed and created by Alfie Bradley at the British Ironwork Centre, is a national monument created to highlight the negative effects of violence and aggression and solidifying the critical need for change. The 27-foot sculpture has been crafted from more than 100,000 knives and blades confiscated by the UK's 43 police forces. The sculpture aims to raise awareness about the consequences of knife crime and violence and to spark conversations about the need for social change and peace.

This amazing national monument will be used to launch a month-long programme of intensive anti-violence youth engagement, within Welwyn Hatfield and across the county. To kick the proceedings off there will be an opening ceremony on 1 October, in Welwyn Garden City Town centre, and during the month the force and partners will be running county-wide events, initiatives, competitions. There will also be a knife amnesty to raise awareness and bring about a positive change within communities, especially amongst young people.

The month of action will conclude on 30 October and will end with a closing ceremony, held once again in the town centre, to celebrate all that has been achieved during the month and to ensure the Knife Angel’s legacy leads to lasting change in the county.

Chief Constable Andy Prophet said: “Securing the Knife Angel for Hertfordshire is a real achievement and a massive opportunity to raise the profile of all the great work that is already going on in the county, as well as putting this issue at the forefront of people’s minds. We already have a relatively low level of knife crime, compared to other parts of the country, but it is a growing problem across the UK. Therefore, it’s vital that we take this opportunity to reach out to young people, those in danger of being drawn into violent crime and professionals who are able to intervene and prevent people becoming knife crime statistics. There are many great organisations and community groups around Hertfordshire who want to help, and it is through these partnerships we can reduce knife related crime in our communities.”   

Police and Crime Commissioner, Jonathan Ash-Edwards, said: “Knife crime is lower in Hertfordshire than many other parts of the country but we must not be complacent as every life lost or damaged by knives is one too many. The arrival of the Knife Angel in Hertfordshire is a powerful symbol of our shared commitments to prevent and reduce violence as well as educating young people. I will continue to work with the police, schools, families and partner agencies to keep our streets and young people safe.”

Chief Inspector for Welwyn Hatfield Pete Frost said: “Whilst the Knife Angel is being hosted in Welwyn Hatfield, we are keen to take this opportunity to get the whole county to focus on knife crime and work with our local partners to get the message across, especially to young people, that violence and knife carrying isn’t the answer to their problems.

“This is a real chance to bring all our communities together to tackle the causes of knife crime and violence. I’d like to invite local organisations, community groups and volunteers to get involved. We want to bring about a lasting change in Hertfordshire and develop a culture where carrying a knife is not acceptable.”  

Councillor Sandreni Bonfante, Executive Member for Environment at Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, said: “The Knife Angel is a powerful memorial to all those who have lost their lives to knife crime and a reminder of the devastating impact it has on individuals, families and communities.  We are proud to support this project and determined to create a lasting legacy that encourages people to choose lives, not knives.  Working in partnership with the police, we will deliver a programme of cultural and educational projects that highlights the dangers of carrying knives and shows how we can all work together to prevent knife crime and build safer communities.”

Further information on opportunities to get involved in the Knife Angel project will be shared soon. 

If you would like further information on the Knife Angel, visit: Official Knife Angel Page | The British Ironwork Centre.