By Robyn Smith
Knife crime rates in Huddersfield and Sheffield are on the rise, despite relevant preventions in place.
Whilst considered one of the safest major towns in West Yorkshire, Huddersfield has still seen a rise in crime over the last few years, with 9,502 offences being committed in 2022, 6% higher than 2021’s rates, according to crimerate.co.uk. Along with this, Sheffield is considered one of the most dangerous cities in South Yorkshire, with 21,139 offences being committed in 2022, 10% increase from 2021’s statistics, according to crimerate.co.uk.
However, one of the biggest issues plaguing these areas is knife crime and its increase in popularity with teenagers. Many incidents have been documented in Huddersfield surrounding knife crime. In September last year, 15-year-old schoolboy Khayri Mclean was stabbed to death by a 17-year-old boy while on his way home from school. Earlier this year, 17-year-old Harley Brown was killed in a machete attack carried out by 14 and 16-year-olds.
Sheffield has many of its own issues with knife crime incidents as well, with the most recent being on Monday 8th May, 2023, with the death of 19-year-old Adam Abdul-Basit after being stabbed, with three 17-year-old boys being arrested on suspicion of murder, and many other incidents being reported within the last few years,
Harrison Chadwick, a young person living in Sheffield, said crime was “a fact of growing up in South Yorkshire”. “There’s just a general sense of apathy towards it,” he said. “Unless we can change the variables that make someone choose a life of crime, preventions aren’t going to work.”
Preventions are currently being put in place in Sheffield, many of them thanks to Anthony Olaseinde. Having witnessed a stabbing at the age of 16, Olaseinde set out to make the city a safer space for his children and the younger generation. He organised for knife bins to be put in place over Sheffield, a place where people can hand their weapons in anonymously to help prevent the number of knife related crimes. Along with this, Anthony also has a book entitled One Knife Many Lives to help raise awareness for knife related crimes.
Along with the preventions and support located in Sheffield, Mark Reynolds of the RSBC boxing club in Huddersfield has also been helping to protect young people from knife crime by setting up free drop-in sessions.
While campaigns are in place to help prevent knife crime in both Huddersfield and Sheffield, the issue of knife crime is still prevalent, with more support needed for young people who may be vulnerable to the effects of this crime.