Former Reading gang member warns children about knife crime

Moses Heidenbluth now gives back to the community through his own lived experiences

A former gang member has been sharing his experiences of knife crime with secondary school children.

Moses Heidenbluth, from Reading, turned his back on a life of crime after ending up behind bars.

He now works as a youth mentor, discouraging young people from carrying weapons.

The event, organised by Thames Valley Police, saw Year 9 students from four Wokingham schools come together to talk about the issue on Thursday.

After finding himself in trouble with the law, Mr Heidenbluth joined Storyy Group, a Bracknell-based venture which gives young people life advice and support.

He said: "Growing up, I was unfortunately involved in gangs and a lot of crime and I spent a small amount of time in prison.

"That changed me as a person - I had a lot of remorse and regret and I wanted to show [young people] a different way of life."

Pupils aged 13 and 14 attended the talk

The talk was part of a nationwide week of action called Operation Sceptre, which saw police working to prevent knife crime.

Students from St Crispin's School, The Emmbrook School, Maiden Erlegh School and The Forest School attended the talk and were encouraged to ask questions.

Recorded knife crime has reduced by 4% across the Thames Valley area over the past 12 months, police figures reveal.

But Mr Heidenbluth said more needed to be done to tackle the problem.

"Knife crime is a problem all across the UK, especially in Berkshire - I've lived in Reading since 2008 and it's gone up massively," he said.

Mr Heidenbluth believed one of the major reasons young people carried knives was fear.

He said: "It's not just people from gangs or council estates, there are young people who are seeing what's happening through social media and the news and they are scared.

"They don't want to be a victim - but carrying a knife is not helping."

Follow BBC South on Facebook, X, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].