New knife crime laws 'not enough', charity says

Delroy Ellis said the new rules were "a start" but not enough

Stricter rules for selling knives online are a "good start" but more has to be done, the co-founder of a charity tackling knife crime has said.

Delroy Ellis, co-founder of Increase the Peace in Gloucester, works with children as young as 10 to tackle knife crime.

He said the new measures announced by the government, known as Ronan's Law, can only do "so much".

"Kids are always going to find a way they can still carry a weapon, protect their product if they're selling drugs and protect their brothers, their boys," Mr Ellis said.

As part of the new rules which are to be introduced in the spring, retailers across England and Wales will be required to report any bulk or suspicious knife purchases to police.

The jail term for selling weapons to under-18s will increase from six months to two years and a new policing unit backed with £1m of funding to monitor for weapons being sold illegally on social media will also be created.

The government plans to introduce stricter rules on purchasing knives online

Mr Ellis said while he "doesn't have all the answers", he thinks early intervention "is key".

"I've got a young boy I'm working with who is 10 years old. He was carrying a knife in the community," Mr Ellis said.

"This young man said to me a few months ago he feels more safe in a gang carrying a knife than he does at home with his family. I was like: we're not in a war zone. He's 10 years old. It absolutely breaks my heart to hear that."

'It's worrying'

"There's another young boy who contacted us and decided to turn his life around and he wants to hand in a knife to us. This boy is 15. Five months ago, he was in education," Mr Ellis added.

"He said he can't believe how quick the street life sucks him in. He said he never thought he'd sell drugs and handle knives."

Mr Ellis said a lot of the children he works with say they "just don't care anymore".

They say selling drugs and carrying knives gets them "more respect", according to Mr Ellis.

"They say: I don't want to earn respect, I want to get respect. If I carry a knife and pull it out to somebody, my respect will increase.

"It's worrying that people feel carrying a weapon will get them more respect."