‘If you carry blades, you’re a potential killer’

18 July 2024

‘Every person who goes out carrying a knife or other bladed weapon in public is a potential killer and should be treated as such’, says the chair of West Midlands Police Federation.

The comments from Rich Cooke come after a full list of dangerous blades found in West Midlands schools since the start of 2023 was released.

The list, which contains almost 20 different types of blades, including machetes, zombie knives and a sword, is based on the number of incidents reported to police in the past 18 months.

“While I’m alarmed by the number of dangerous weapons being brought into schools within the West Midlands, I can’t say I’m surprised,” said Rich, who has been actively campaigning against knife crime for years.

“The reality is if they are carrying these blades - even if the initial intention isn’t there to kill or injure other young people - they are more likely to seriously hurt another person, or actually, have it used on them.”

Shocking and unbelievable

The report, issued by Birmingham Live, states that two children aged 9 were found with weapons, as well as a 10-year-old, four 11-year-olds and 16 pupils aged 12.

“This article just highlights this continuing crisis around the safety of our children,” continued Rich, a father of three himself.

“It's shocking and unbelievable, to many law-abiding folk, that children as young as nine are carrying these weapons, but they are. This is the horrific reality in some areas of our cities. It should concern us all and galvanise determined action by us all. That age should be a time of innocence - youngsters shouldn’t even know what these blades are apart from if they’re chopping a sausage at dinner time.

“Once again, this demonstrates just how easy it is for kids to get their hands on these weapons.”

West Midlands Police Federation chair Rich Cooke.

The report comes just weeks after two 12-year-old boys became the UK’s youngest convicted murderers in 30 years after a man was brutally stabbed with a machete in Wolverhampton.

“Is it becoming fashionable for kids to be carrying these weapons? Too often older gang members and criminals will use vulnerable younger children to do their dirty work,” continued Rich.

Gang culture

“I’ve also spoken previously about shops, online stores in particular, marketing these blades to appear cool or like a status symbol, encouraging more youngsters to seek them out and increasing demand. And that needs to stop.

“Additionally, videos shown on social media far too often glamorise gang culture and give vulnerable children, particularly from troubled backgrounds with little or no parental control, perversely something they aspire to without knowing the grim realities. 

“It’s critical that both retailers and the social media bosses realise some things are far more important than money.”

According to recent Government figures, knife-enabled crime recorded by the police in the year ending December 2023 had increased by seven per cent (49,489 offences) compared to the previous year.

Once again, Rich called for tougher sentences to be given to young people who are found carrying knives.

“Prevention is essential. But we must take these young offenders out of their poisonous surroundings earlier in the offending cycle – before they maim or kill which is usually the only time it does happen,” he said.

“But this is costly - secure youth detention places hardly exist. The capacity needs to be built up so we can protect the law-abiding public but also work intensively with these kids away from those pernicious influences at home. 

“Of course, the early intervention we’ve seen under the violence reduction partnerships has partially shown what can be achieved, but its coverage is too patchy. It needs to be integrated into basic policing everywhere.”

Deterrents needed

He added: “Far too many young people are being murdered. We need to be proactively preventing this from happening by providing a real deterrent, determined prevention before that, and yes, tackling the marketing and supply of weapons of choice by completely banning the sale of bladed weapons as collectors or novelty items.”

Rich is now urging the new Labour Government to honour its manifesto promises, which involved investing £100 million to tackle knife crime while pledging to half the number of incidents involving knife crime over the next 10 years.

“Ahead of the General Election, the Prime Minister said he would invest millions in a youth programme to tackle knife crime,” said Rich.

“Well, Mr Starmer, you now have the power to make change. You are more responsible than anyone for these young lives. It’s time to turn your words and promises into actions.

“We are living in a knife crime epidemic and have been for several years. Too many innocent lives are being lost. These incidents are so common they rarely make the headlines, but police officers witness this carnage daily, which is why we will continue to raise this until it is made the total priority for policing it needs to be.”

READ MORE: ‘Vital’ bleed kits fitted across Birmingham.