Exclusive: The Man Who Cares, Courtney ‘The Knife Man’ Barrett And His Incredible Fight to Save Lives.

It’s been nearly seven years since Courtney Barrett launched Binning Knives Saves Lives, and in that time, his work has made a deep and undeniable impact. Over 1,300 knives were taken off the streets through his community-led amnesty campaign, and awareness was spread nationwide. But despite his tireless efforts, Courtney and the grieving families he represents have been consistently ignored—most notably by those in authority in London.

In an interview with the Havering Daily, Courtney said: “We asked the current London Mayor if he would accept a letter personally to be handed to him by both Suzanne Hedges, mother of murdered Ricky Hayden, and Joanne Chesney, mother of Jodie Chesney. Both mothers, who have lost their children to knife crime, were met not with empathy, but with cold disregard. In a further insult, he also refused to accept the 1,100 knives that myself and my team had removed from the streets and arranged to hand over outside City Hall. The symbolic gesture was rejected.”

For families destroyed by knife crime, it was a devastating blow. Mothers were left standing outside City Hall, standing in the cold, unheard. Courtney continued: “I asked him directly what was being done to tackle knife crime. His response was, “We have an amnesty in police stations at the moment.” That was it. He was dismissive, and really did not seem to know what is actually going on, on our streets.

“I was left aghast,” he added “I was very disappointed.”

But while politicians turned away, Courtney never did. Known across East London as Courtney ‘The Knife Man’ Barrett, he became a legend of the streets—not for what he said, but for what he did. He woke up one day and decided: enough is enough. No more teenagers should die on London’s streets. And from that moment on, he dedicated himself to saving lives.

Courtney built up a grassroots campaign that truly reached the community. He wasn’t behind a desk or on a podium. He was out there—walking the pavements, visiting schools, standing with families, and listening to young people. With his iconic green knife bin, he gave the public a safe way to surrender weapons. He didn’t wait for permission. He acted.

You’d find him outside Number 10, outside City Hall, outside Parliament, and in housing estates, parks, and youth clubs across East London. Wherever there was a need, Courtney was there—with grieving mothers by his side, demanding action, demanding justice, demanding change. But too often, the system ignored them. And when it did listen, nothing happened.

“We’ve campaigned for years, walked the streets, met youths, removed knives off the street,” Courtney said. “But no one is interested. And now the sad state of London tells us exactly what we all knew would happen—knife crime is out of control.”

He speaks from experience. The victims are not just numbers—they are children, often as young as 11 or 12, carrying blades in fear. “Where is their intervention? Where are the grassroots programmes? Has anyone even asked these children why they are carrying knives?”

Courtney has. He’s spoken to them, listened to them, and stood beside their families after tragedy. For seven years he has done the work that others wouldn’t. And still, he is calling on schools, youth centres, community leaders and families to come together and tackle this crisis—not with words, but with action.

“We need to work with schools, with youth centres, anyone we have left. We need to work with families, and most importantly we need to work as a community. Listen to what these children are telling us and work from there. A lot of these children have no youth. They’re growing up in fear, and no one cares.”

In a world where so many turn away, Courtney Barrett chose to face the problem head on. He chose to care. And in doing so, he gave grieving families hope. He gave the youth a chance. And he gave London a reminder of what real leadership looks like.

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