North Wales parents urged to speak to kids about knife crime

And of course they could not have been underscored any more gravely than by the tragic deaths of three young girls in a Southport stabbing last month. 

Anti-knife campaigners Edwin Duggan, from Shotton, and Danny Maddocks, from Wrexham, have made an impassioned plea to parents and youths across North Wales in the hope of getting blades off the streets.

Mr Duggan has previously pushed for the creation of a dedicated ministerial role to to focus on knife crime.

He told the Leader: "We're in a situation now where knife crime seems to be increasing.

"You have all of these organisations and projects all over the place up and down the country working to tackle it, but the message doesn't seem to be hitting home - it's not working.

"There has to be a different way.

"A knife crime minister would be the best option as far as I'm concerned, but that campaign seemed to dry up completely earlier in the year.

A stock image of a knife (Pixabay) and Edwin Duggan (UGC) (Image: Canva/UGC) "I'm trying to see now if there's a way to get a knife crime commissioner for the UK.

"Either way, whether it's a commissioner or a minister, it's to co-ordinate all of these pockets of work being done to make an effective remedy."

Mr Duggan said after collaborating with North Wales PCC Andy Dunbobbin, he is hoping to see an educational package delivered in North Wales schools, focussing on knife crime.

He is also encouraging parents to speak to their children about the dangers of blades.

"They need to sit down and talk to their children to find out how they feel," he said.

"Do they feel scared? Are they carrying or do they want to carry these knives?

"If a young kid has a knife on them, that same knife could be used on them.

"There has to be a way of breaking the chain - breaking that mindset."

Danny Maddocks (Image: Archive) Danny Maddocks lost his 34-year-old brother Craig when he was murdered in a knife attack at the Cambrian Vaults pub, Wrexham, in June 2013.

Ever since, he has campaigned against the carrying of blades and has worked with Wrexham schools to share his experiences in a bid to educate children on the dangers knives pose.

He told the Leader: "I fear for all youngsters growing up now because it's a scary world out there.

"Knives are so easy to get hold of, they're so easy to carry and they're easy to use.

"I'd say to parents; speak to your children. Don't be afraid to ask if they know someone who's carrying a knife.

"With the young girls being killed in Southport, it's coming home to a lot of people now that it is a problem and we need to face it and prevent it from happening again."

The Leader has reported in numerous cases heard in court how defendants claimed to have carried knives for 'protection.'.

Mr Maddocks said: "It doesn't work like that - you don't need a knife for protection.

"If you're being bullied, tell someone rather than causing a tragedy in someone's family because you can't take that back.

"You could cause yourself and someone's family a lot of pain."

He added he is hoping to resume his anti-knife education sessions in schools at the start of the new school year.

Andy Dunbobbin, Police and Crime Commissioner for North Wales, said: “Knife crime should have no place in society and I pay tribute to the work of campaigners like Eddie Duggan and Danny Maddocks who work tirelessly to honour and remember the lives of their relatives and people in their community who have died from knife crime.

"I have sat down with Eddie previously and know of his resolute determination to make change happen and to stop people being injured or killed by knives.

"This is something which I, as Police and Crime Commissioner, support wholeheartedly.

"While offences with knives remain thankfully low in North Wales, it is important for us all to work together to drive them down still further. We can do this through outreach and education and also by making people who might be tempted to carry knives aware of the dangers involved and the consequences that could entail – both for them and their victims.

“This awareness raising must always also be coupled with action on the part of the police and I know that Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman and her officers at North Wales Police take the threat of knife crime seriously and run initiatives such as Operation Sceptre both to educate and act on this issue.

"The operation focuses on intensified action on knife crime, including targeted stop and searches, weapon sweeps, test purchases of knives from retailers, and the use of surrender bins.

“Another part of my role as PCC is that I have a responsibility to tackle and prevent serious violence in communities, called the Serious Violence Duty.

"We launched a strategy to counter serious violence within North Wales earlier this year and I act as lead convenor in making councils and local services work together to share information and target interventions and projects to prevent and reduce serious violence.

"This is an important initiative and one that I hope will have a positive impact across our region.

"Delivering safer neighbourhoods for everyone across North Wales is a longstanding key priority for me and my plan to reduce crime across the region and make it safer for all.

"Violence such as knife crime ruins lives and it is up to us all to work together to stop this threat wherever it may be.”