The Knife Angel comes to Welwyn Garden City

The constabulary is delighted to announce that it will be teaming up with Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council to host the Knife Angel in Welwyn Garden City town centre during October 2025. 

The Knife Angel, designed and created by Alfie Bradley at the British Ironwork Centre, is a national monument created to highlight the negative effects of violence and aggression and solidifying the critical need for change. The 27-foot sculpture has been crafted from more than 100,000 knives and blades confiscated by the UK's 43 police forces. The sculpture aims to raise awareness about the consequences of knife crime and violence and to spark conversations about the need for social change and peace.

This amazing national monument will be used to launch a month-long programme of intensive anti-violence youth engagement, addressing anti-violence and anti-aggression within Welwyn Hatfield and across the county. To kick the proceedings off there will be an opening ceremony on 1 October, followed by a series of events in Welwyn Garden City town centre. During the month the force and partners will be running county-wide events, initiatives, competitions and a knife amnesty to raise awareness and bring about a positive change within communities, especially amongst young people.

The month of action will conclude on 30 October and will end with a closing ceremony, held once again in the town centre, to celebrate all that has been achieved during the month and to ensure the Knife Angel’s legacy leads to lasting change in the county.

Chief Constable Andy Prophet said: “Securing the Knife Angel for Hertfordshire is a real achievement and a massive opportunity to raise the profile of all the great work we already do in the county, as well as putting this issue at the forefront of people’s minds. We already have a relatively low level of knife crime, compared to other parts of the country, but it is a growing problem across the UK. Therefore, it’s vital that we take this opportunity to reach out to young people, those in danger of being drawn into violent crime and professionals who are able to intervene and prevent people becoming knife crime statistics. There are many great organisations and community groups around Hertfordshire who want to help, and it is through these partnerships we can reduce knife related crime in our communities.”   

Chief Inspector for Welwyn Hatfield, Pete Frost, said: “Whilst the Knife Angel is being hosted in Welwyn Hatfield, there is an opportunity for the whole county to focus on knife crime and work with local partners to get the message across, especially to young people, that violence and knife carrying isn’t the answer to their problems.

“I want Hertfordshire to really seize this opportunity and for everyone to get involved. If you have a great idea - share it, if you want to get involved – get in touch. The more we put into this month of action, the greater impact we can have on our local communities. We want to get as many local organisations, community groups and volunteers as possible involved, so if you have a contact get them on board.”   

Police and Crime Commissioner, Jonathan Ash-Edwards, said “Knife crime is lower in Hertfordshire than many other parts of the country but we must not be complacent as every life lost or damaged by knives is one too many. The arrival of the Knife Angel in Hertfordshire is a powerful symbol of our shared commitments to prevent and reduce violence as well as educating young people. I will continue to work with the police, schools, families and partner agencies to keep our streets and young people safe”.

Councillor Sandreni Bonfante, Executive Member for Environment at Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, said: “The Knife Angel is a powerful memorial to all those who have lost their lives to knife crime and a reminder of the devastating impact it has on individuals, families and communities.  We are proud to support this project and determined to create a lasting legacy that encourages people to choose lives, not knives.  Working in partnership with the police, we will deliver a programme of cultural and educational projects that highlights the dangers of carrying knives and shows how we can all work together to prevent knife crime and build safer communities.”
 

Please see attached leaflets for more information's