With one teenager killed by a knife every nine days across the UK, Manchester Cathedral is set to host a major regional summit to discuss the current knife crime crisis affecting communities across Greater Manchester.
The free event on 15 October 2019 from 1815hrs will include a candlelit vigil, personal testimonials, as well as awareness-raising from community representatives including Greater Manchester Police, Carisma and its founder, Dr Erinma Bell MBE DL, and Sangha, Manchester’s latest community cohesion group.
The keynote speaker is Nazir Afzal OBE (former Chief Prosecutor, North West England) and – alongside community colleagues – will explore the causes of knife crime, preventative measures for potential perpetrators, support for families and carers, and how we identify role models offering different paths to involvement with gangs and knife crime.
The Dean of Manchester, The Very Reverend Rogers Govender MBE, said:
“Rises in knife crime should shock us all. Community and religious leaders cannot stand by while young people in particular are seriously injured or killed. The Manchester Knife Crime Summit is an opportunity to deepen awareness of the causes of knife crime, to listen to and acknowledge the stories of lives destroyed and, yet, in the midst of such pain explore how together as one community, we might work to reduce the blight of knife crime in our city and region. Once again, Manchester Cathedral stands ready to bring many diverse communities together under one roof.”
