Urgent appeal launched after spate of stabbings in Milton Keynes

Last week’s grim spate of stabbings in MK has sparked and emergency appeal from safety experts.

The city’s Safety Centre at Kiln Farm believes the answer to combatting knife crime lies in early education and intervention.

Last week they spoke out about how workshops should be held in every school to reach children aged from nine upwards and illustrate the dangers of carrying knives.

They move followed the stabbing of a teenager last Monday lunchtime on Fishermead. He was attacked by four masked men and suffered serious injuries.

But two days later there were two more stabbings, this time on Oxley Park.

Today the Safety Centre, also known as Hazard Alley, has left no holds barred in renewing its appeal.

A spokesman said: “The Safety Centre is launching an urgent knife crime education appeal following on from the horrific stabbings in MK this week and is asking businesses to support their life saving work.”

The cost of the sessions is around £7 per child. You can give your support here.

The latest spate is a “stark reminder” for the need for lifesaving knife crime education for the city’s children and young people, say the centre’s experts.

"The shocking news of these horrific attacks in our hometown of Milton Keynes makes it clear- we urgently need funding for our early intervention knife crime education work now,” said the spokesman.

"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. 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 are calling on all businesses, organisations, funders and individuals to fund this work and urge you to support us today to help keep our communities safe.”

Speaking with the Safety Centre is Dr Stuart Lawrence, the younger brother of Stephen Lawrence who was violently murdered 30 years ago.

He said: “Early intervention is so important. Education can be the most powerful tool in the world and the earlier we can give people the tools to be safe, the more it helps. We need to explain to young people that time is precious, and life is precious.”

The Safety Centre’s knife crime education workshops are already been delivered to 14,500 students across the region in the past two years, but this early intervention work must continue now to help students make safe choices when it comes to knife crime.

The spokesman said: “We need local people to invest to help stop knife crime in the future. An investment of £7 per child can help us deliver this lifesaving learning.

"With £210 we can educate a group of 30 children and young people. A donation of £10,000 would benefit over 1,400 children.

"We are committed to ensuring we educate as many people across our city and beyond... Please support our vital safety education work today with a donation to our appeal.

Collectively we can make a positive difference to the lives of our young people.”