Another violent stabbing in Milton Keynes prompts urgent call for safety lessons for children as young as nine

The latest serious stabbing in Milton Keynes has sparked an urgent appeal from the city’s much-respected Safety Centre.

A teenager was seriously injured on Monday during the attack by four masked men on Fishermead estate.

It is the latest in a constant series of stabbings in the city, where four fatal attacks took place in a period of just 13 weeks last year.

The Safety Centre Charity Hazard Alley at Kiln Farm has now spoken out, saying the attack is a “stark reminder” of the need for lifesaving knife crime education for children and young people in the city.

And they are calling on businesses, funders and organisations to fund these more of these workshops, which will teach children aged between nine and 11 about the dangers and life changing consequences of being involved in knife crime.

The centre’s CEO Maya Joseph-Hussain said: "The shocking news of this horrific attack in our hometown of Milton Keynes makes it clear- we need funding for our early intervention knife crime education work now.

"Our knife crime education workshops create safe spaces to speak with young people in an age-appropriate way to dispel myths and common misconceptions about carrying weapons and being involved in knife crime. There is no safe way to use, carry or participate in knife crime.”

Maya added: “Knives destroy lives for victims and perpetrators. We need funding for our knife crime workshops now to give children and young people the tools they need to make safe choices in the future.

“We urge you to reach out to us today to help keep our communities safe.”

Anybody willing to contribute towards funding the workshops should email [email protected] or call 01908 714350.

The Safety Centre runs Hazard Alley, which Hazard Alley was the world’s first interactive indoor safety education centre when it opened in 1992.

It already runs knife crime safety education workshops, which are delivered in schools across the region. But this early intervention work needs to increase and continue to teach more students how to make safe choices.

The Safety Centre is self-financing and its income comes from services offered, grants, donations and sponsorship.