EXCLUSIVE: Ignored for Years: Grieving Mum Says Stop and Search Could Save Lives, But No One Listens- “We Are Tired of Not Being Heard”.

Rainham Mother’s Plea After Latest Knife Attack-Sue Hedges from the Ricky Hayden Memorial speaks out after another stabbing in Havering.

A mother from Rainham whose life was torn apart by knife crime is once again pleading for action—after another stabbing took place in her own community.

Sue Hedges, who tragically lost her son Ricky in 2016, has been an outspoken anti-knife crime campaigner ever since. Despite years of protesting, lobbying and donating life-saving Daniel Baird bleed kits across the capital, she says her calls—and the calls of countless other bereaved families—continue to fall on deaf ears.

“We have been working to fight knife crime for years,” Sue told The Havering Daily. “Standing outside Number 10, City Hall—and no one listens to us. All of us bereaved mothers are tired.”

The latest incident in Rainham has only reignited Sue’s frustration, particularly with the reduction in stop and search tactics across London.

“We have asked for more stop and search—yet they cut it down instead. We have asked for funding at grassroots level to tackle knife crime—and instead they place knife bins. Of course I’m not surprised another stabbing took place.”

Recent reports indicate that while knife crime is rising, stop and search levels have decreased across the capital—a trend Sue believes is directly contributing to the surge in violence.

“I read a recent article that the levels of stop and search have decreased across London and knife crime has increased. I wonder why.”

Her voice is one of many from a community that feels exhausted, let down, and increasingly vulnerable.

“We are tired. We have been making our voices heard for years and no one chooses to hear us. The community here has a great spirit, but it is time they start making their voices heard too.”

Sue believes that only through collective action and a real commitment to change can tragedies like her son’s be prevented.

“It’s obvious an increase in stop and search works. If those who killed my son had been stopped and searched, he would still be alive today. But they weren’t.”

Knife crime continues to blight communities across London—including those once considered quiet and safe. The question remains: how many more families must suffer before action is taken?

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