Knife Angel memorial to young victims arrives

The sculpture is made from 100,000 knives

A 27ft-tall sculpture made from 100,000 blades that acts as a memorial to young knife-crime victims will spend a month in Luton.

The Knife Angel, which is made from knives seized by police, will be unveiled in the town on Saturday.

"The Knife Angel stands as a memorial for the young people who have lost their lives to knife crime locally," said Maria Lovell, a member on Luton Council.

"It serves as a sombre reminder of the personal tragedies that have deeply affected our community and underscores the urgent need for concerted efforts to create real change in our communities to prevent further loss of life."

The sculpture was made by the British Ironwork Centre.

During August, Bedfordshire Police will launch initiatives in Luton to encourage people to leave their knives in amnesty bins.

The force will also carry out weapons sweeps.

Insp Liz Spurling said: “The Knife Angel’s visit to Luton will send a powerful message to our communities about the importance of us all working together to proactively drive down knife crime.

"Throughout August we’ll be continuing to encourage young people to think twice and drop their knives through our anti-knife Just Drop It campaign."

The Knife Angel will spend a month in Luton

The Youth Partnership Service has announced a new fund to help community organisations create projects for young people in the town. Luton Rising has provided funding for the project.

Javeria Hussain, a councillor and vice-chair of Luton Rising, said: “This fund will support community organisations in creating inspirational projects for children and young people, reinforcing the critical messages of the Knife Angel."