A team of former armed services personnel have created a knife amnesty van which will tour across Staffordshire in a bid to tackle knife crime.
Veteran-led training provider Black Onyx Academy, based in Stoke-on-Trent, will run workshops from the vehicle, which has been equipped with an amnesty bin for people to surrender blades. The group said the van would allow the team to have "meaningful conversations with young people, families and communities".
The van was unveiled in Stafford on Friday and has been put together by local engineering firm Bri-Stor Systems, part of The Hex Group. The vehicle includes a space to run workshops and a knife amnesty bin in the back.
Veterans' Duty of Care
Stefan Northfield, strategic lead and former Royal Marine, said veterans had a "duty of care" and wanted to share their own experiences. "All young people have good in them," he said. "All they're lacking is a bit of direction and that's really what we showcase in our workshops. It's highlighting to these young people that there are opportunities for them."
Community Support
Operations director Adam Smith of Bri-Stor Systems said he was hoping the van would help enable "meaningful conversations" to happen where they were most needed. "This project is a great example of how collaboration, education and practical solutions can come together to make a real difference," he added.
Among the team who worked on the van were the company's apprentices, including 18-year-old Paramveer Singh. "It is really important, because knife crime in the UK has started to skyrocket," he said.
Police Support
The project has been supported by Staffordshire Police. Ch Insp David Barrow said the initiative would provide "a simple, safe and accessible way" for people to dispose of knives. "The van will support our wider work to prevent knife crime, protect young people and reduce serious violence by making it easier for communities to take practical action and help keep people safe," he added.