A town where knife crime is falling - and why

Peter Martin has spoken to more than 50,000 children in his efforts to draw them away from knife crime

Alfie*, 17, remembers his fear as he was surrounded by a group of boys brandishing knives and demanding he hand over his clothes and brand new trainers.

He managed to get away, but a week later, he was targeted again after he travelled back into Redditch town centre.

This time, however, Alfie had his own knife.

"They were on the car park and threatening to stab me up," he says.

"Carrying a knife made me feel safe but I realised that it was a bad decision after everything that happened."

Alfie says his life has changed dramatically since he was cautioned in January

Police were called and Alfie was searched and cautioned for possessing the blade.

But he was also introducted to a local boxing coach, who, after taking the teenager under his wing, has helped draw him away from an extremely dangerous path.

It is among a series of successful methods to tackle knife crime in Redditch, Worcestershire, where people have witnessed its devastating effects too many times.

Ian Kirwan was stabbed to death in his home town of Redditch

The town was rocked when Ian Kirwan, 53, was fatally stabbed outside an Asda supermarket in March 2022, after challenging teenagers for messing about in the customer toilets.

In January 2023, a 15-year-old boy was found guilty of his murder, while two more teenagers were found guilty of violent disorder.

The jury heard the killer was part of a masked gang that often "terrorised" people in the town.

They had travelled to Redditch by train on the day and subjected Mr Kirwan to a minute-long attack near the entrance to the store.

It is perhaps no surprise young people are scared.

Trying to deter them carrying knives, however, is the mission for police and youth workers now.

Alfie’s mentor Pete Martin has shared his own knife crime experience with more than 50,000 children in Worcestershire who have listened to one of his talks.

Knives like these have been handed in during a UK-wide amnesty

In 2010, he attended the scene of a stabbing in Redditch to offer first aid.

Both the victim and perpetrator were his friends and a 45-year-old man was later convicted of attempted murder.

It left Pete with post-traumatic stress disorder and he has also suffered a stroke.

"I had one friend in a prison cell and another lying in hospital," he says.

"It was one of the worst times of my life but I know I had to do something positive.

"My story engages young people but it is traumatic for me to relive. But I put that to one side because I know it helps people."

Police are working to be more visible around Redditch town centre

Alfie’s mother Joanne* got a taxi into Redditch town centre when she heard her son had been threatened and then caught by the police himself.

"I was not impressed and to be honest, I went off the handle in front of everybody," she tells the BBC.

"But then when Alfie broke down and said 'I didn’t feel safe but carrying a knife made me feel safe'… I had mixed emotions.

"I feared that if he had gone up to the car park, I would have been burying my son."

Joanne says another of her sons was recently attacked by a group of girls who were carrying knives.

"I also had a friend who reported seeing children with blades by their legs…I don’t want to be sending my children into Redditch town centre when there is the threat of violence."

But she says her experience of her son carrying a knife has forced her to have conversations she hopes other parents will have with their children.

"If you think a child is carrying a knife, sit and talk to them… what can you do to make your kids feel safe?" she adds.

Parents 'must engage'

As well as helping the young people who come his way, Pete supports the parents too.

"It is a sensitive subject but as a parent you must engage with your child," he says.

"So for example, seeing something on the news may be a prompt to ask, 'What do you think about knife crime? Do you know anybody who has carried a knife?'"

He has also worked with local businesses to raise money to install around 90 bleed kits across the borough.

"In our area, the number one reason why young people feel they have to carry a blade is personal protection," he says.

"The ironic thing is here last year seven out of 10 young people injured were hurt with their own weapon. It’s having the polar opposite effect to what they want."

Across Redditch, knife offences fell by 15% between August 2023 and August 2024, according to figures supplied by West Mercia Police, while street robberies fell by 34% during the same period.

But borough inspector Richard Field says he is under no illusion they had more work ahead to build trust in the community, especially following the deaths of Mr Kirwan and young footballer Cody Fisher, who came from the town.

“We’re working closely with West Midlands Police and British Transport Police, for example, to run operations on the trainlines because we know that people are coming into our area from outside to commit knifepoint robbery and other offences," he says. "We have made a number of arrests."

There are more officers deployed in Redditch town centre to improve visibility in areas like Unicorn Hill and Market Place, and they are also going into schools to talk to pupils.

Meanwhile, Alfie has been coached by Pete for three months and says he already feels he is growing in confidence.

He has learned some self-defence techniques, how to deploy a bleed kit, while also receiving support for his own mental health.

"I’m still nervous about going out," he says. "People are still hanging out in gangs and they probably carry [a knife] for protection but I now know that I made the wrong decision and it made my mum feel bad.

"I want to get a good job soon and pursue my dreams."

*Names have been changed