Hornchurch pupils learn about the human cost of knife crime

A workshop was held at Abbs Cross Academy and Arts College on Monday (March 13) for its year nine students to provide them some life-saving skills in case of a knife attack.

It brought together officers from the Met Police, members of the ambulance service, teachers and the founder of a young people’s charity, Inspired Futures, to talk about the consequences of knife crime.

The interactive sessions merged talks, video clips, Q&As and a role play activity to engage the students. Public education officer for the London Ambulance Service, Mariano Iadanza, 40, showed them how to make and answer a 999 call in case of an emergency.

Mariano Iadanza, public education officer for the London ambulance service addresses the students (Image: Riddhi Kachhela)

He said in an interview with the Recorder: “When it comes to the ambulance service, we focus our message on how to help save a life and be safe if you come across a crime scene… for example making a 999 call and looking at the methods of the bleeding control." 

On the workshop, he added: “It is a safe space where they are going to learn about things they wouldn’t otherwise and ask questions. There isn’t anything as such in any school curriculum for it."

Read More: Tackling knife crime in Havering 'a priority': police chief

Head teacher Nicola Jethwa ensures these sessions are held every year.

She said: “We think it is very important that we educate our young people rather than leave them to listen to rumours or social media stories which might not be true or exaggerated or glamourised."

“It (these workshops) reminds them how precious they are to the people around them because I think sometimes they forget."

PC Graeme Halleron demonstrates a knife (Image: Riddhi Kachhela)

PC Graeme Halleron, who conducts these presentations in more than 50 schools, gave pupils some real life examples of how a knife attack can devastate a family.

He mentioned Tyler Hurley, a 16 year old pupil from Chadwell Heath, who was fatally stabbed.

PC Halleron shared: “Tyler came to school on 14th March last year and he never came home…". He said in relation to another victim he had witnessed year ago similarly: "His mother still sends me a card every Christmas that says she still misses and loves him so much."

When asked how many of them will tell their teachers or the police if their best friend is carrying a knife, only six out of 180 pupils raised their hands.

So, PC Halleron told them about the principle of joint enterprise. He said: “Basically it means if someone has knowledge that something might happen and you chose not to tell anyone then you are as guilty as the person who did it.

“By doing something you can stop it, you can stop your friend from dying."

Nathan Levy, the founder of Inspired Futures, who lost his own brother to a knife attack years ago, shared his own personal account of coping with the trauma.

After moving abroad for a few years, he came back and started conducting these sessions in collaboration with the police to keep the legacy of his brother alive.

Nathan Levy, the founder of Inspired Futures, narrates his story (Image: Riddhi Kachhela)

He said: “We just want them to have an understanding of keeping themselves safe…avoiding pitfalls…it is about coming together as a community to show them that we appreciate them, support them and want them to have positive aspirations."

Havering has witnessed a rise of knife crime incidents in the past few months.

The Recorder reported that February saw the highest recorded number of knife crimes in the borough since April 2019.

In November 2022, this paper also revealed knife crime in Havering had risen by almost 30 percent in 12 months.

Supt for neighbourhood policing, Lisa Butterfield, believes educating young people through these sessions can help in deterring them from becoming victims themselves.

PC Graeme Halleron with superintendent Lisa Butterfield (Image: Riddhi Kachhela)

She said: “The thing that I like about this is that it brings other people’s perspective in… sometimes people don’t want to listen to the police, and by sharing these stories of some of the local people that they might have known we keep it very real."

The pupils were informed on how to report someone who carries a knife anonymously using a platform called Fearless.

One pupil said: “It’s good for kids our ages because there’s quite a lot of it going on nowadays and a lot of kids carry knifes, and it is a good way to prevent kids from doing it."