Cardinal blesses knife bin in Wood Green

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, has blessed a newly installed knife bin at St Paul the Apostle Church in Bradley Road, Wood Green.

The knife bin, provided by Word4Weapons and funded by social outreach charity, Caritas Westminster, is a safe-disposal amnesty for knives and other bladed weapons. It is placed away from CCTV, with the aim of encouraging people to hand over knives that might otherwise be used in committing crimes, potentially causing serious injury or death.

The launch of the knife bin last month, is one of the ways the Catholic community in Wood Green is marking the 140th anniversary of St Paul the Apostle Church, and 50 years of the current church building.

Parish priest, Father Perry Sykes, said: “Anniversaries are, above all times of thanksgiving, when we look back and appreciate anew all that contributed to the growth and well-being of the Wood Green Mission. Those who formed that first community would be happy and gratified to see all that has resulted from such small beginnings.

“The installation and blessing of the knife bin by Cardinal Vincent […] is part of our continuing mission here in the community of Wood Green.”

Until 2020 knife crime in London had been steadily rising, reaching nearly 16,000 recorded offences in the twelve months to March 2020.

In the following year to March 2021 this dropped to around 10,000, reflecting lower levels of crime as a result of the coronavirus lockdowns. However, 30 teenagers were killed in London last year, the majority having been stabbed.

The mayor of Haringey, Adam Jogee, attended the blessing. He said: “I am grateful to St Paul’s Parish for the leadership it shows in keeping Wood Green and Haringey safe and I hope that all those that have been affected by any issues linked to knife crime can feel that this is a safe opportunity to do away with their knives and move forward in a peaceful and safe way.”

The first Caritas Westminster knife bin was installed in Tollington Park in 2018 with two more in Harrow Road and High Barnet the following year. The latest figures from these bins show a total of 447 knives and 107 other potential weapons had been deposited, taking them off the streets and ensuring they were no longer at risk of causing harm.

Another new knife bin will be launched at St Mary and St Michael Catholic Church near Commercial Road on 9th February – the fifth such bin provided by the partnership of Word4Weapons and Caritas Westminster.

The two parish communities are hoping to run awareness activities in the coming months.

Lucia das Neves, councillor for Woodside ward, and cabinet member for health social care and wellbeing, said: “It’s really inspiring to see how this parish has engaged with the community on the issue of youth violence. I know that they’ve been really passionate about making a difference to young people.

“Installing this knife bin is a visual reminder of the community’s commitment to combatting violence and having a conversation about the issues.”

For more information, visit: word4 weapons.co.uk