Latest news with #bluntknives
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Southport survivor's campaign for 'blunt knives' praised by Nottinghamshire police boss
Nottinghamshire's Police and Crime Commissioner has echoed a Southport survivor's calls for pointed knives to be replaced with blunt ones in an effort to help combat knife crime across the nation. A dance teacher who survived the Southport knife attack, Leanne Lucas, has started a new campaign calling for pointed knives to be replaced by ones with blunt tips after being critically injured during the attack. Axel Rudakubana, 17 at the time of the attack, has been jailed for a minimum of 52 years after he carried out the murder of three young girls- Alice Aguiar, Dot Stancombe and Bebe King, in an event that shook the country. In an interview with Sky News, Leanne, aged 36, said it was the pointed tip of the knife that led to her life-threatening injuries in the attack of July 2024. READ MORE: The 85 NatWest, Lloyds, Halifax and Santander branches to close in June - with 3 in Nottinghamshire READ MORE: 'Nervous and shaking' man parked outside Nottingham takeaway with 'car full of drugs' The message of the Let's Be Blunt Campaign resonated with Nottinghamshire's PCC, Gary Godden, who stated that if blunt knives were to become the norm in UK households, it would have a "huge effect" on the number of knife crime incidents across the country. The campaign calls for a national conversation to be had about the possible transition to blunt knives, as the easy access means that life-threatening incidents such as those in Southport could be repeated, as every household has a four-inch or longer knife readily accessible. PCC Gary Godden said: "I think that knife crime is a specific challenge. Bear in mind that knife crime is generally, those involved or have had an experience with knife crime have been hurt by a knife that is four inches in length; everybody in every single household in the country has a knife that they can get access to, that is four inches long. "The challenge is how we can change perceptions and behaviour and how we approach prevention in a way that actually makes a huge difference. I have some plans in mind that I am not going to discuss today to really challenge this and make sure that Nottinghamshire is a safe place." When asked about his support for the new campaign, the PCC said: "It's really interesting. It's not something that you would have thought of two or three years ago. It's a common-sense approach to a national problem. The reality of carrying a knife is guess what, you are probably going to have it used against you or you will use it against someone else. "The effect of having blunt knives would be huge. If only we could get them into every household in the country, it would be amazing, but that will take time. I think that there are government bans on certain knives coming into place. "There will be a lot of stuff that we need to do, I have my mind set on a lot of things we need to do, that will really challenge this. At the moment, this is our biggest challenge for safety, and making sure people don't pick up knives and use them." This comes after Nottinghamshire Police has recently stepped up their response to knife crime in the city, carrying out a determined campaign to curb the increase in knife-related incidents in Nottingham's city centre, after a series of stabbings in March.
The Guardian
21-05-2025
- The Guardian
Southport attack survivor calls for kitchen knives to be blunt tipped
A dance teacher who survived a knife attack in Southport last summer has started campaign calling for pointed kitchen knives to be replaced by ones with blunt tips. Leanne Lucas, 36, was critically injured in the attack at the Taylor Swift-themed dance class she was leading during last year's school summer holidays. Axel Rudakubana, who was 17 when he carried out the attack, was jailed for a minimum of 52 years for the murder of three young girls, Alice Aguiar, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Bebe King, and the attempted murder of several others, including Lucas. In an interview with Sky News, Lucas said it was the pointed tip of the knife that caused injuries that led to her 'nearly dying'. She said she has not cooked with a pointed kitchen knife since last July's attack, and that using knives with blunt tips makes her feel safer. 'When I'm maybe with friends or family and they're cooking away and we're having a conversation, I've noticed I'm watching what they're doing, rather than listening,' she told BBC News, adding that kitchen knives had become a 'trigger' for feelings of hyper-vigilance she has experienced since the attack. 'When this idea about the blunt-tip knives came in I just thought 'this is a no-brainer, I don't understand why our kitchen isn't safer in the first place',' she said. The Let's Be Blunt campaign hopes to shift public attitudes and change behaviours, with Lucas comparing it to other public health initiatives, such as the indoor smoking ban. 'We just want to form that education,' she said. 'We want to bring that awareness to light.' Cutlery manufacturer Viners has been selling blunt-tipped knives since 2020, alongside more traditional pointed knives. Jamie O'Brien, chief executive of the Rayware Group which owns Viners, said: 'Knife crime is obviously a very complex issue and a complex societal issue. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion 'Our product won't change that but what we believe is [that] design can make simple steps to dramatically improve safety, just as with seatbelts or with safety lids on kids' medicines.' The actor Idris Elba has previously called for a ban on pointed kitchen knives, and has been backed by the celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. According to data from the Office for National Statistics, kitchen knives are most commonly used in homicides where a knife is used as a weapon. 'You normally hear of the zombie knives, machetes, things like that,' Lucas told Sky News. 'They sound dangerous but really, when you look at the figures, the highest figure is the domestic kitchen knife, which we have all got in our kitchen, which we use daily.'
Sky News
21-05-2025
- Sky News
Southport stabbings survivor launches campaign to end use of traditional kitchen knives
A survivor of the Southport knife attack is calling for the use of blunt-tipped knives in home kitchens, in a campaign she says is "for the girls". In one of her first television interviews since the July 2024 attack, Leanne Lucas, 36, tells Sky News it was the "tip of the knife" that caused injuries that led to her "nearly dying". "I never, ever thought I'd be talking about things like this," Ms Lucas tells Sky's Katerina Vittozzi, "but since what happened in July, I really can't sit still and not say how I feel". Ms Lucas was leading a group of children in a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop when they came under attack by Axel Rudakubana, then aged 17. "What happened before the incident was just pure joy," Ms Lucas remembers. "We were just having so much fun. And for that to be ruined and everyone's life that was involved, to be shattered, is just not acceptable," she says. Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, were killed in the attack. Ten others, including Ms Lucas, were injured. The attacker used a kitchen knife with a 20cm blade, purchased via the online retailer, Amazon. "I don't want this pain and this trauma that any of us have felt, I don't want that to happen to another family," Ms Lucas says. Her new campaign, launched today, is called Let's Be Blunt and aims to "raise social awareness" of safer-tipped knives. "A safer option is to go for curved or blunt-tip knives... that reduces that risk of the kitchen knife being used ever as a weapon," she says. It's an issue about which Ms Lucas feels "passionate". "[I] will not let evil win. I need to know that I'm doing this for the girls, for myself and for future generations," she says. "We don't need to wait for government or the police to tell us what to do," Ms Lucas adds, as she calls on the public to "do an inventory" of their kitchen knives. Since the attack, Ms Lucas says she feels "like I've just had my eyes opened" to how "domestic tools can be weaponised". "I personally feel that knife crime has got out of control," she adds. According to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics, kitchen knives are the most common type of weapon used in knife homicides. "You normally hear of the zombie knives, machetes, things like that," Ms Lucas says. "They sound dangerous but really, when you look at the figures, the highest figure is the domestic kitchen knife, which we have all got in our kitchen, which we use daily." Ms Lucas says "since the attack in the summer," she has never "cooked with a pointed kitchen knife again" and that using a blunt-tipped knife makes her feel "safer". "Obviously, people can hurt people in many ways," she says. "It's about reducing that opportunity to cause life-damaging, life-threatening injuries that can take people's lives." Reflecting on the personal nature of the campaign, Ms Lucas tells Sky News it was a "privilege" to be a survivor, but that she does not "want to be defined by what happened to us". "My work was for the girls," she says. "My work was for the community... and just creating memories that will last a lifetime... and I don't want this to be part of our memories." Ms Lucas says she hopes Let's Be Blunt will "inspire" other Southport survivors. "If I can show them that there's hope and that real change came from what happened to us… If I can do that, then that's what I'll do."
BBC News
21-05-2025
- BBC News
Southport survivor Leanne Lucas 'can't unsee' kitchen knife risks
A yoga instructor who survived the Southport stabbings said feelings of discomfort around knives in her own kitchen had inspired her to call for safer Lucas was critically injured in the 29 July 2024 attack that claimed the lives of three children - Alice Aguiar, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Bebe said she wanted to drive a cultural shift in which people swap their traditional pointed-tip blades with blunt-ended knives, which present a much lower risk of causing serious Lucas told BBC News she recently realised that cooking had become a "trigger" for the feelings of hyper-vigilance she had experienced since the Southport attack. "When I'm maybe with friends or family and they're cooking away and we're having a conversation," said Miss Lucas, "I've noticed I'm watching what they're doing, rather than listening."When this idea about the blunt-tip knives came in I just thought 'this is a no-brainer, I don't understand why our kitchen isn't safer in the first place'."Miss Lucas said she had read articles, quoting actor Idris Elba and celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, talking up the potential benefits of blunt-tipped knives. Last year, Miss Lucas arranged a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga workshop for children during the summer was targeted for unknown reasons by then 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana. He was later jailed for a minimum of 52 years for the three murders, as well as the attempted murders of Miss Lucas, businessman John Hayes and eight other children who survived their injuries. As the first anniversary of the attack approaches, Miss Lucas has announced the launch of the Let's Be Blunt addition to selling standard pointed-tip blades, manufacturer Viners has been selling blunt-tip knives since 2020. Jamie O'Brien, chief executive of The Rayware Group which owns Viners, said: "Knife crime is obviously a very complex issue and a complex societal issue."Our product won't change that but what we believe is [that] design can make simple steps to dramatically improve safety, just as with seatbelts or with safety lids on kids' medicines." When challenged on why his company still sells pointed-knives, Mr O'Brien said: "For us, it's about the legislation from the government."We don't believe in necessarily banning retailers - that is not our decision."We believe in legislation that improves the effectiveness of safer options."Miss Lucas also compared the Let's Be Blunt campaign to previous widespread shifts in public behaviour like the the ban on smoking indoors."I don't think it's something that would happen overnight," she said. "There are barriers there - I'm very aware of that."But we just want to form that education. We want to bring that awareness to light." 'Form of epidemic' According to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), there were about 50,000 offences involving a sharp instrument in the year ending March 2024. That is about 4.4% higher than the previous 12-month period, although just under 3% lower than in 2019-20. "What worries me is we're in this form of epidemic, and we're not seeing it as an epidemic," Miss Lucas said. "Knife crime is increasing year on year, and I don't see how we're going to get hold of it if we don't all work together."Miss Lucas has been invited to a Parliamentary reception on behalf of knife crime charity the Ben Kinsella CEO Patrick Green said hearing the voices of people like Leanne, who have been directly affected, is critical."It brings two things, it brings passion and determination to tackle knife crime, but it also brings something particularly when talking to young people about lived experience and the authenticity of those messages which cuts through statistics, which explains the horror of knife crime in a way nothing else can".Miss Lucas is also hoping her story will have an impact when making her case later to MPs in Westminster."We need to all get on board as a member of the general public and say we're not OK with the increase in knife crime, and we want to play a tiny part towards preventing future knife crime," she said. "I can't now 'unsee' what's in the kitchen, so I've got to do something about that."And I think that's the movement we're trying to create." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram, and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
