Knife Crime Isn’t a Black Community Problem… It’s Every Community’s Problem And Until We All Stand Shoulder to Shoulder It Will Never Be Beaten.
Across London and across England there are many families who have had to bury their child because of knife crime. These are the forgotten families. The families no one wants to hear about. While official figures show knife crime in London has fallen by around 15 per cent over the past year, for the mothers and fathers who have buried a son or daughter, those statistics mean very little. Their lives stopped the day their child was murdered.
Yes, knife crime has fallen across London. That is something we should all welcome. Every life saved is a life that will hopefully never leave another family living with unimaginable heartbreak.
But has the problem gone away?
No.
Has it truly been addressed?
No.
Because behind every statistic is a broken family.
For every reduction in the figures there are mothers and fathers whose worlds have been torn apart forever.
These are families from every background, every ethnicity and every community.
Yet many say they feel forgotten.
The BBC Panorama programme examining the deaths of Kelyan Bokassa and Deajuan Campbell highlighted concerns over missed opportunities and the many failures that can exist before tragedy strikes. It echoed what so many bereaved families have been saying for years.
Many mothers begged for help.
Many reached out to different authorities.
Many asked for intervention before their child became another victim.
Too often, they believe those cries for help went unheard.
There is another issue that desperately needs addressing.
Knife crime is far too often labelled as a crime that only impacts the Black community.
It does not.
Knife crime destroys lives regardless of colour, race, faith or nationality.
Victims come from every community.
Families from every community suffer.
The Havering Daily has stood beside bereaved families for nearly ten years. During that time one thing has become painfully clear. Many Black families not only have to cope with the murder of their child, but also endure ignorant remarks and assumptions that disguise racism beneath the surface.
I have stood beside a heartbroken mother who was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo and listened as she described some of the comments directed towards her after the death of her son.
No grieving parent should ever have to experience that.
Many bereaved families are even frightened to attend knife crime meetings because they fear being branded, judged or having the finger pointed at them.
That has to change.
It is time their voices are heard.
It is time all mothers who have lost children to knife crime are heard.
For years they have campaigned.
For years they have spoken out.
For years they have repeated the same message.
“It is not OK.”
For years they have spoken to politicians, London’s Mayor, local authorities and anyone willing to listen.
Many still feel they are being ignored.
Two women who refuse to stop fighting are Sue Hedges and Peguy Kato.
They are two truly remarkable women who have dedicated their lives to trying to stop knife crime, despite often feeling that too few people are prepared to listen.
Rather than allowing grief to consume them, they have turned unimaginable heartbreak into determination.
They have spent years supporting other bereaved mothers, speaking in schools, attending meetings, campaigning for change and standing shoulder to shoulder with families experiencing the same nightmare they once faced.
They have become voices for those who often feel they have none.
They are remarkable women whose courage deserves to be recognised.
Peguy Kato, whose son Champion was murdered, once told The Havering Daily:
“When Champion died I had a visit from Victim Support. The lady gave me a tissue and told me that it would all be OK and that she understood. She hasn’t lost a child, so she doesn’t understand.”
Those words have never left me.
These are mothers who then have to sit in court and watch CCTV footage showing the final moments of their child’s life.
These are mothers who have been told not to cry in court as the accused is often a child and they may upset him.
No parent should ever have to endure such pain.
Following Champion’s death, Peguy and Sue Hedges reached out to The Havering Daily and volunteered to help other bereaved families because, after all, they understood.
They knew exactly what those parents were going through.
In the hope of strengthening that support, The Havering Daily contacted Victim Support to ask whether it would be willing to work alongside these bereaved parents, free of charge, to help other families experiencing the same devastating loss. We did not receive a response to that request.
These are broken mothers.
Broken fathers.
Broken brothers and sisters.
Families whose lives will never be the same again.
Yes, we can talk about knife crime falling.
Yes, we can welcome the reduction in the statistics.
But what about these forgotten families?
Who is listening to them?
Who is making sure they receive the support they deserve?
Who is making sure their experiences shape future policy?
Knife crime is not a problem solely affecting the Black community.
It is not a problem affecting one postcode.
It is not a problem affecting one social class.
It affects us all.
If we are serious about tackling knife crime, then we must unite every community.
We must stop dividing people.
We must hear every voice.
We must work inclusively.
We must stand shoulder to shoulder.
Only then will we begin to tackle not just the crime itself, but the lifelong devastation it leaves behind.
Because while the statistics may finally be moving in the right direction…
For the families who have buried their children, time stopped on the day they said goodbye.
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This is a great article / enough is enough. Every article like this matters it keeps the pressure on, keeps the conversation alive, and keeps this issue in front of the people who can change it.
we won’t stop talking about knife crime until we see real lasting change . share this. Keep the momentum going.❤️
Knife crime has been on the increase for the past two years , it’s everyone’s problem and there those with children make sure the are not carrying knives and stay away from those individuals who do , keep your distance for those you don’t know or trust
Official data consistently show Black individuals are substantially over-represented among knife crime suspects/perpetrators relative to their share of the population.
2021 Census population (London):
White ≈53.8–54%
Black ≈13.5%,
Asian ≈20.7–21%
Mixed ≈5.7%
Other ≈6%. 
•
Suspects (Metropolitan Police / MOPAC data, June 2024–May 2025):
For all knife crime, Black suspects were the largest group at 53% (5,651 of 10,734 where ethnicity known).
They were especially prominent for certain subtypes (e.g., knives threatened but not used, and personal robbery, around 69% in some breakdowns).