UNESCO World Heritage city tackles horror of knife crime after two murders of teenagers

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TThe clock in the city's grand Gothic monastery hasn't yet struck 10am. But already under the shadow of Bath Abbey, hordes of tourists are busy snapping photos, while an animated tour guide stands with a clipboard in one hand and a colorful umbrella in the other.

“Come, follow me,” he cried, slowly leading his brigade toward the entrance to one of the city's highlights, the 2,000-year-old Roman Baths, surrounded by honey-colored Georgian architecture. .

Although it is a wet and cold winter's day, the streets are buzzing with tourists, happily admiring the many historical sights that make Bath a famous UNESCO World Heritage Site.

However, there is a sense that a disturbing story is being told in this ancient city.

The first clue is two mounted police officers on patrol. They stopped for photos but were not in the show. The second is a decorated memorial to his murdered teenage boy on Southgate's Main Street.

Police have increased patrols as a 17-year-old arrested on suspicion of attempted murder is out on bail after a January stabbing next to the Royal Crescent, another of the city's most popular tourist attractions. It is being strengthened.

The shocking incident comes after 16-year-old Mikey Roynon was stabbed to death with a zombie knife at a birthday party in June.

Then, one month before Mikey's tragic death, another murder occurred. Ben Moncrief, 18, was knifed to death as he tried to break up an argument outside a McDonald's in the city centre. It is in his memory that a monument was erected.

But in Bath, where the city's fight against parking fees and the rise of Airbnb is often a hot topic, it's a wake-up call for police, community leaders and parents.

“We don’t suddenly have a huge problem with knife crime in Bath compared to a year or two ago, but we haven’t had any of these incidents and now we’ve had three in a row, so we I think they feel very safe.” said the city's Liberal Democrat councilor Wella Hobhouse. independent person.

“Of course we should, because we are very cautious.”

Crime data published by the Home Office is broken down by municipality rather than by city. However, the statistics provide an indication of the problem, with Bath having the highest number of serious violent incidents in north-east Somerset.

Latest figures show that although violence against individuals in the region remained stable, the number of weapons offenses increased by 50% to 81 in the year to September 2023.

The number is small. Of the 81 weapons offenses, 15 involved carrying a knife.

But as local police admit, this data only tells part of the story. Parents who live in housing complexes hidden from tourist attractions in some disadvantaged areas of the city say recent events have left them worried about the safety of their children.

Youth groups also said: independent person This means fewer young people feel safe attending sessions. One leader even said he was developing a prototype knife-proof vest with a friend who works at one of the city's two universities.

Ben Moncrief's mother Sharon Hendry knows the consequences of knife crime and is among those in the city calling for an end to the violence.

The night her son died, Ben's girlfriend called to say her son had been attacked during an argument between the killer and another man. “Mommy's coming, mommy's coming,” were among the last words the injured boy heard as he lay bleeding on the floor as his girlfriend comforted him.

Mr Hendry arrived at the scene as quickly as possible and desperately tried to revive his son, but he was pronounced dead shortly after.

“Ben thought he was safe in Bath and I was worried he would be in Croydon when he was meeting his girlfriend,” she said. “But never in a million years did I think it would happen here,” Hendry said. independent person From the living room, where a large canvas photo of my son hangs on the wall.

“When I went to him, he was lying with his eyes open and facing straight ahead. The paramedics helped me wake him up. I tried. 'Wake up.' I have said this many times. I saw blood and wounds and the paramedics took him in for an invasive heart push. The more time passed, the more I thought he might be gone. Then they told me he had passed away.

“I was completely stunned. When I got home and saw Ben's laundry in the washing machine, I was shocked.”

Mr. Hendry's bedroom has an unmade bed, a bottle of vodka on the window ledge, and his gym clothes have been removed, while Ben's bedroom is left untouched. Downstairs she has framed the tattoo consent form her Ben signed the day before he died. This was Ben's mother's last handwriting.

“It really broke my heart,” she said. “I can't do anything anymore. I can't go on vacation, I can't enjoy Christmas or my birthday. My life has been ruined because of that boy who killed my son. Please don't let me experience this.”

A 16-year-old boy who was sentenced to a minimum of 15 years in prison for Ben's murder was under the influence of older people before the attack, a court heard. The court was also told that the teenager, from south London, glamorized knife crime by posing in a social media video.

Mr Hendry wants young people to change their attitudes about carrying knives. And she wants parents to play a bigger role in keeping their children out of trouble by instilling values ​​about how to treat people and the consequences of their actions.

“Everything has to change,” she said.

After Ben's death, a second teenage tragedy struck the city when two groups clashed in the backyard at a house party and Mikey Roynon was stabbed to death with a so-called zombie knife.

Zombie knives are large-bladed weapons that are increasingly associated with gang crime and violence in the UK.

Three teenagers were found guilty of Mikey's murder on Wednesday after a five-week trial at Bristol Crown Court. One was convicted of murder and the other two were convicted of manslaughter.

Detective Inspector Mark Newberry said: “It is completely unconscionable that three young boys attended a teenage girl's 16th birthday party armed with knives.''

City officials responded to the tragedy.

The Violence Reduction Partnership, an organization involving councils and police, is working to educate parents and tell them about the tell-tale signs that a child has been involved in knife crime, such as a knife missing from the kitchen or new clothes they couldn't normally afford. We are holding awareness events that bring together parents. .

Professionals who work with children are also trained as street doctors. The council's knife crime task force is expected to produce a report and recommendations in the coming months.

Councilor Tim Ball, cabinet member for the city council, said: “Our cities and communities are generally safe, but unfortunately we are not immune to the national problem of knife crime. “Police use enforcement action where necessary and appropriate. It is important that we continue to take a strong approach to

“To ensure that Bath and North East Somerset remains safe for all residents, we will continue to work with partners, parents and carers to take action to prevent further tragic incidents. is essential,” he added.

Chief Inspector Scott Hill took over Bath's neighborhood team in the months after Mikey's death and said tackling knife crime was one of his first priorities.

“If you look at the research, you'll see that 99 per cent of people don't carry knives, but when you have a large number of incidents happening relatively close together, that doesn't help with recognition,” he said. Told. independent person.

“This is a wake-up call to ensure knife crime is tackled as an issue… As a local police commander this is a concern for me and it is an issue on which we are working closely with our partners.”

Ch Insp Hill said the force was increasing its intelligence capabilities, speaking to 11- to 13-year-olds in schools and adding police presence to respond to incidents such as January's stabbing and reassure the public. He said it is being strengthened.

He said the public needed to understand that children who carry knives are more likely to be injured or killed by knives.

“The aim of all this is to keep young people away from knife crime,” he said.

Asked why some people still armed themselves, Ch Insp Hill said: “There may be a small number of children under the illusion that they are safe if they carry a knife.”

The city's charities are playing a more important role in tackling the issue after years of cuts to youth support services, but they face unique challenges.

Charity Developing Health and Independence run a drug and alcohol service called Project 28, which provides one-to-one sessions to young people.

CEO Rosie Phillips said: independent person She believes knife crime in the city is not only linked to drugs and social media, but also to a decline in youth support such as youth clubs, which are a great place for children to talk and look after. He said that he will be a “trustworthy adult'' who will take care of them. .

“You get some kids ready and then you're going to get other kids ready. There's a lot more that needs to be done in terms of education,” Phillips said. He also expressed frustration with the patchy funding situation, with groups unable to apply for long periods of time. A term project to tackle a problem.

Another charity called Mentoring Plus holds sessions twice a week in the evenings at youth clubs across the city. Chief executive Ruth Caley said attendance numbers were down 50% compared to pre-pandemic levels and that group activities with older children had become “significantly more difficult to get them out of the house.” “

She added: “This is because there is a sense of 'I don't need to go out, I can socialize online', as well as a fear of crime.” So I feel like if a group of young people are gathering for a party at a house, like in Mikey's situation, there's less of an opportunity for them to rub up against each other.

“That's why young people are avoiding going out and feeling even more unsafe when they do.”

Ms Keighley also highlighted inequalities within the city. Five districts are in the 20 per cent of most deprived areas in the country, where poverty is a factor in young people turning to crime.

For parents living in Twerton, one of the city's most deprived areas, the work being done is still not enough. Built on a slope overlooking the city, the village is home to his 1930s-built Whiteway housing estate alongside a popular urban farm.

Opposite the Grade II listed Centurion pub, Sophie Hardy and Donna are waiting at the bus stop.

“My son is 14 and he knows boys who think bringing out a knife is a big deal and will protect them,” said Donna, 28, who did not want to give her last name. Told. “As a parent, you're always thinking about whether your kids are going to come home and whether something's going to go wrong.”

Mr Hardy, 34, said: “We're a long way from the postcard pictures of Bath here, and sometimes we feel like we're all alone. Nobody wants to see another teenager murdered.” No, but we need to do more to support our children for the future of our city.”