Youth crime prevention group call for more positive engagement year on from Kesgrave shooting
The town is attempting to heal its wounds, 365 days on from the tragic incident
Last updated 7th Sep 2021
Today marks a year since a teenage boy was shot in the face by a schoolmate in Kesgrave.
The accused was found guilty of attempted murder in June this year, and is due to be sentenced later this month.
The incident occurred on the morning of 7th September 2020, the first day of school after a national lockdown, when the victim was stopped on his way to school by the accused.
He went on to fire a double-barrelled shotgun from a distance of less than 1.5 metres, leaving the victim with life-threatening injuries. The victim managed to survive the attack after intensive care and surgery.
As the town recovers from a difficult last year, compounded by a severe second-wave of Covid-19 cases in early 2020, local headteacher Julia Upton has sent out this message of hope to those affected by the tragic shooting and the wider community:
"The course of events on that day a year ago will live with us all for a long time.
"We hope that as time progresses from this tragic event, that those most affected can continue to gather strength from our school and local community, rebuilding their lives, with the help of all those around them."
So what can be done to try and prevent such incidents from occurring again? One organisation attempting to steer youths away from anti-social behaviour by engaging them with football and boxing is Suffolk Positive Futures.
They use sport and positive engagement to reduce youth violence and crime in local communities.
Paul Knight is the group's Project Manager, he acknowledged that the Kesgrave shooting was an isolated incident in its severity, but he said that there are many risk factors that cause youths to turn towards anti-social behaviour of all kinds.
He told us: "Some of the factors that maybe concerning or warrant a referral to an organisation like ours could be the young person is struggling at school, perhaps they're struggling with chaotic home lives, they could be mixing with the wrong crowds or just a lack of positive activity or positive role models in their lives."
Besides the obvious fitness benefits of using sport to help at-risk youths, it gives them a chance to meet other positive young people and model their behaviour. Mr. Knight believes that teenagers and youths who may turn to crime have to be offered more opportunities to distract themselves from going down that path.
"In all areas of the county there has to be more opportunities for positive engagement for young people. We must get them engaged and at young age and turn it into a habit for them to get involved in worthwhile, productive activities" he said.
Mr. Knight also encourages parents to actively seek out such support for their children if required and directed them to the Suffolk Positive Futures website or social media channels for more advice.