The Knife Angel came to Crewe in May 2023
Crewe Town Council worked in partnership with the Safer Cheshire East Partnership and Crewe Local Policing Unit to bring the renowned Knife Angel sculpture to Crewe.
Created by sculptor Alfie Bradley in conjunction with the British Ironwork Centre, the Knife Angel has been created from 100,000 seized blades collected by 43 police constabularies. The sculpture is multi-purpose, helping to educate communities about the negative impacts of knife crime whilst also acting as a poignant memorial to those who have lost their lives to knife crime. During its visit, young people will be encouraged to sign up as Anti-Violence Ambassadors.
The Knife Angel was located on Memorial Square between Wednesday 3rd and Tuesday 30th May 2023. There was an opening ceremony to welcome the angel and a torchlit ceremony was held at the end of the month to signal the closing of the event.
Did you attend the Knife Angel event? If so, please let us know what you thought by filling in this short survey here.
A supporting programme of activities was also planned for the month:
Take a look at the Crewe Knife Angel leaflet HERE.
At the Opening Ceremony, the Force Lead for Knife Crime (Andy Blizard) spoke with The Cat Radio about why the Knife Angel's visit to Crewe is so important.
Find out more about the origins of the Knife Angel HERE.
The designated charity for the Knife Angel visit is Cheshire Crimebeat who support young people of Cheshire to get involved with crime prevention, community safety and citizenship projects in their local communities. You can donate towards their important work through their Just Giving page.
Change Grow Live - supporting people who may be triggered by the impact of the Knife Angel, offering advice and guidance around substance misuse and bad choices and the impact this may have on families and communities.
Creative Crewe - a not- for-profit community arts and events group, its goal being to unite different factions of the community to come together for events in the town and surrounding areas.
The Dove Service - offering specialist counselling, training and support advice for those affected by grief through bereavement and loss.
Motherwell Cheshire CIO - a service provided by women for women, promoting positive health and wellbeing.
Safer Streets Safety Buses - a clearly visible and safe space for vulnerable people. The vehicles have on-board safety equipment such as defibrillators, first aid kits, phone chargers and bottles of water. They are staffed by police officers and community safety specialists from partner agencies who are on hand to ensure that anyone in need of help is cared for until they are able to get home safely.
Our fellow partners that worked together to bring the Knife Angel to Crewe:
Safer Cheshire East Partnership (SCEP)
The Safer Cheshire East Partnership (SCEP) brings partners together including Cheshire East Council, Police, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service, Probation Services, Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Health and the Voluntary Sector to provide strategic leadership to reduce crime and provide reassurance to communities that Cheshire East is a safe place to live and work.
Cheshire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the English unitary authorities of Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Borough of Halton and Borough of Warrington. The force is responsible for policing an area of 946 square miles (2,450 km2) with a population of approximately 1 million.
Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire
The Police and Crime Commissioner is the people's elected voice in policing and holds the Chief Constable to account on the public's behalf. The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) supports the Commissioner in a number of ways to help him carry out his role effectively.
The British Ironwork Centre and Sculpture Park is located in Shropshire. They are the creators of the Knife Angel sculpture (along with sculptor Alfie Bradley) and their main goal through the creation of the Knife Angel is to educate and raise national awareness around anti-violence and anti-aggression.
