West Midlands Chief Constable joins campaigners for launch of anti-knife crime coalition

The Prime Minister was also there

Author: Claire EmmsPublished 9th Sep 2024

Chief Constable Craig Guildford joined campaigners at Downing Street today for the launch of a new national anti-knife crime coalition.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer was joined by anti-knife crime campaigner, and co-founder of the Elba Hope Foundation, Idris Elba, for the launch of the Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime.

It will bring together campaign groups, families of people who have tragically lost their lives to knife crime, young people who have been impacted and community leaders, united in their mission to save lives and make Britain a safer place for the next generation.

The Coalition will also include technology companies, sport organisations as well as partners in health service, education and the police.

It will work with experts to develop an extensive understanding of what causes young people to be dragged into violence – providing vital evidence that will drive government policy and holding the government to account on its knife crime commitments.

Today the Prime Minister brought together the Home Secretary, the Justice Secretary, Idris Elba and campaign groups at the first annual Knife Crime Summit at Downing Street.

Mr Guildford was joined at the event by Baroness Lawrence, the mother of murdered Stephen Lawrence, as well as the family of Ronan Kanda, who was 16 when he was stabbed, seconds from home in Wolverhampton, by teenagers who thought he was someone else.

He suffered devastating injuries and died on the street where he lived. Ronan lost his life and his teenage killers were jailed for life for his murder.

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