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Veterans unveil knife amnesty van to tackle crime

Alex McIntyre,West Midlandsand
Josh Sandiford,in Stafford
BBC A man with short hair, a black shirt and tattoos on his arms and neck, smiles as he stands in front of a van with branding on it and a chairs, table and laptop inside.BBC
Veteran Stefan Northfield, of Black Onyx Academy, said he felt he had a "duty of care"

A team of former armed services personnel have created a knife amnesty van which they will tour across Staffordshire in a bid to tackle knife crime.

Veteran-led training provider Black Onyx Academy, based in Stoke-on-Trent, will be running workshops from the vehicle, which has been equipped with an amnesty bin.

As well as letting people surrender their blades, the group said it would allow the team to have "meaningful conversations with young people, families and communities".

Stefan Northfield, strategic lead and former Royal Marine, said veterans had a "duty of care" and wanted to share his own experiences.

"All young people have good in them," he added. "All they're lacking is a bit of direction and that's really what we showcase in our workshops.

"It's highlighting to these young people that there are opportunities for them."

A black van with branding on it, parked inside a large room. There is a vertical banner on the left which says "surrender a knife, save a life today". there is a table set up outside the van under an awning.
The van includes a space to run workshops from and a knife amnesty bin in the back

The van, which was unveiled in Stafford on Friday, has been put together by local engineering firm Bri-Stor Systems, part of The Hex Group.

Operations director Adam Smith said he was hoping it would help to enable "meaningful conversations" to happen where they were most needed.

"This project is a great example of how collaboration, education and practical solutions can come together to make a real difference," he added.

A man with long, curly dark hair and wearing a brown shirt with The Hex Group logo on it, smiles as he stands by the open passenger-side door of a van.
Paramveer Singh, 18, was one of the apprentices who helped to kit out the van

Among the team who worked on the van were the company's apprentices, including 18-year-old Paramveer Singh.

"It is really important, because knife crime in the UK has started to skyrocket," he said.

The project has also been supported by Staffordshire Police and Ch Insp David Barrow said the initiative would provide "a simple, safe and accessible way" for people to dispose of knives.

"The van will support our wider work to prevent knife crime, protect young people and reduce serious violence by making it easier for communities to take practical action and help keep people safe," he added.

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