Reading sculpture made with knives unveiled in town centre

Reading has seen a number of knife-related deaths over the past few years

A sculpture made with knives collected by police has been unveiled in memory of knife crime victims.

The 2m (6ft) Armoured Heart has been installed outside the east entrance of The Oracle shopping centre in Reading.

The piece was created by local artist Stuart Melrose who worked with members of the Young Voices youth project.

The heart is made of stainless steel diamonds and topped with a steel finial made from melted-down knives collected during a Thames Valley Police amnesty.

The sculpture was funded by grants and donations and commissioned by a partnership project involving a number of organisations, including police, The Oracle and Reading Borough Council.

Community safety councillor Karen Rowland said: "The sculpture celebrates the opportunity of the positive choices that our young people can make to grow up safe in Reading's communities."

The sculpture was unveiled on Monday

The town has seen a number of knife-related deaths, including David Allen, Raheem Hanif, Yannick Cupido and 13-year-old Olly Stephens.

Friends James Furlong, Joe Ritchie-Bennett and David Wails were also stabbed to death by Khairi Saadallah in Forbury Gardens in a terrorist attack in June 2020.

Abdiraheem Jama's little brother Wa-ays Dhaye was aged 18 when he was stabbed to death in Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire.

Mr Jamma has been campaigning against knife crime ever since and said he believes a Knife Angel monument in Slough last year did have an impact.

He told the BBC: "What happened to our family is devastating. I don't wish that on anybody.

"Maybe having a statue in Reading will help raise awareness that knife crime is on the rise and something needs to be done about it collectively.

"There are no winners in knife crime - you either end up in a graveyard when you die or you end up in prison."

The sculpture is just outside The Oracle shopping centre

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