PM invites family of murdered Bristol boy to work with government on knife crime
Sir Keir Starmer is inviting the family of Darrian Williams to work with him on how to reduce stabbings
The Prime Minister is inviting the family of teenager Darrian Williams, who was fatally stabbed in Bristol last year, to work with his government in the fight against knife crime.
Darrian was 16 when he was stabbed in the back in Easton's Rawnsley Park on Valentines Day 2024, by two other teenagers who thought he was in a gang they were in dispute with.
Last Friday (14th February) to mark one year since his death, his family unveiled a new bleed control cabinet in Beaumont Street right outside the park, to hopefully save a life if anyone else is ever hurt in the area in the future.
Following the unveiling Darrian's family told Greatest Hits Radio that the government needs to work more on preventing stabbings in the first place, so during a visit to the North Bristol Community Diagnostics Centre this morning (17th February), we put that view to Sir Keir Starmer.
He said: "To the family, firstly I'd say I remember profoundly (the events of) a year ago and being shocked by what had happened. My thoughts were with the family and they remain with the family.
"I want to thank them for what they're doing on these bleed kits which are hugely important...(and) I'd invite them respectfully, to work with us.
"We'd like to work with them because we do need to bare down on knife crime."
The Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime
One of Labour's election pledges was that if voted into power, Sir Keir Starmer's party would work to halve knife crime within 10 years.
As part of that pledge, last September the government founded an anti knife-crime coalition featuring community members, bereaved families and even the actor Idris Elba, which now meets every month or so, in Westminster, to discuss potential policy.
One of those already involved in it is 21-year-old Bristol boxing coach Serena Weibe, who lost her close friend Eddie King Muthemba Kinuthia to knife crime in 2023. She has previously told Greatest Hits Radio that she believes more people her age should be at the meetings.
Continuing to speak to us about this at the Diagnostics Centre, the Prime Minister said: "The more people involved the better, particularly young people.
"It's really important that we all recognise that young people bring a huge amount to this. They help us with some of the ways in which we can get to those that we most need to work with, so I would encourage them and many young people to come forward and work with us...
"They have to be a central focus for this."
Around the time that the coalition was founded the government introduced a ban on zombie knives and ninja swords, making it an offence to either manufacture, sell, supply or possess them without a valid excuse.
Sir Keir's government has also pledged to make the sale of weapons online more difficult and create so called "Young Futures Hubs" across the country, which would offer young people "a safe place to go" where they can be introduced to "positive activities" and access services they need.
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