Northampton stabbings: Council makes violence reduction call

Northampton has seen a series of stabbing incidents this year

A series of measures to crackdown on knife crime have been backed after councillors spoke of their concern about stabbings in Northampton.

West Northamptonshire Council unanimously backed a motion calling for work to reduce violence.

Teenagers Rohan Shand and Kwabena Osei-Poku were fatally stabbed in separate incidents in the town in March and April.

The authority said it would draw up a serious violence strategy by January.

The council said it would 'bring forward initiatives to promote community engagement on community safety'

Conservative councillor Cheryl Hawes, who proposed the cross-party motion, said she was "increasingly frightened" by the situation.

All 71 councillors at a meeting approved the proposals that also included a series of "anti-knife and violent crime initiatives" each spring.

The authority said it would also continue to promote the county's community safety partnership.

In March, 16-year-old Rohan Shand, known as Fred, was fatally stabbed close to the Cock Hotel junction in Northampton as he walked home from school.

Two boys have been charged with murder.

Student Kwabena Osei-Poku, 19, was stabbed near the University of Northampton campus in April. Two men have been charged with murder.

'Bolder' leadership

Labour councillor Keith Holland-Delamere called for "bolder" community leadership.

He said young people needed to be provided with "hope and a future".

Conservative councillor James Hill said he was worried communities were "under siege".

"I am petrified every day to look at Twitter or the news to see the latest incident", he said.