FIGHTING
KNIFE CRIME
Welcome to our second issue of Fighting Knife Crime London’s online magazine Dr. Nadia Habashi FRSA , Researcher, Fighting Knife Crime London
I
t has been a very busy 4 months since we launched Fighting Knife Crime London on the 1st June 2021. We continue to add to our extensive directory of organisations and ensure that we provide the latest research, reports and statistics on Knife Crime and Social Justice. When we developed Fighting Knife Crime London, we thought that it would a resource of interest for people in the UK. We are pleased, that we have regular readership from the USA, Australia, China, Europe and Malaysia. We are fortunate that we have sustained a positive media presence at both local and national level, due in part to the determination and drive of our founder Bruce Houlder and the skills of our energetic and innovative team at Iconic Media Solutions- Craig, Alex, Eren and Lauren. So much so, that on the 2nd June 2021, Bruce was invited to meet officials at No 10 Downing Street, who have been impressed with what we have achieved and our ambitions for the future. He has been invited to speak at the Public Policy Exchange Conference – Combatting Knife Crime: Making Communities Safer & Working in Partnership to Tackle Serious Youth Violence, on the 5th October 2021. We are delighted that Bruce has been nominated for a Criminal Justice Alliance Award. In this issue, we have a range of articles from individuals and organisations who are making positive contributions to 4
understanding and tackling knife crime at the political, research, and community level. We are especially impressed with the innovative and creative work of Anthony Aina and Steven Okeya of Penificent. Anthony and Steven have developed a comic series to tackle the issue of knife crime and mental health. They write about their incredible journey and why they feel the creative arts, is an important vehicle to connect with young people between the ages of 8-14 about Knife Crime and Mental Health. At Fighting Knife Crime London, we value the importance of research to better understand and address knife crime. So we were delighted to read an innovative report from Community Links, ‘Arts as a Youth Intervention’. It is a thoughtful and considered report which looks at the role that the Arts play in promoting well-being. Chi Kavindele, Director of Community Links writes about the importance of the research within the context of how we ‘Build Back Better’ and shares exciting news about their recording studio which was generously funded by the Rolling Stones. Working together and involving communities is critical, if we are to successfully tackle knife crime. We are therefore greatly encouraged by the innovative work of BTEG, led by its Chief Executive, Jeremy Crook OBE and Black Men 4 Change (BM4C) in the creation of the Alliance for Police www.FightingKnifeCrime.London
