Children protected by team in stab vests on walk to school in UK knife crime capital

Kids in one of the country’s capitals are being escorted to by adults in stab vests to keep them safe.

Horrified volunteers formed a patrol after a teenager was stabbed to death with a zombie knife. Elianne Andam, 15, was killed on her way to lessons in Croydon, South London, last year. Daniyel Thomas, co-founder of Croydon Community School Time Patrols, said: “Elianne didn’t get to school that day and that’s why we’re out here. As a father myself, there was no option but to take action.”

“It was a must. How can a young person leave the house and never return home? This is about the community taking responsibility because it’s our children we’re talking about.”

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has vowed to halve knife offences in the next decade. Some 82% of teen murders involve the use of a knife or sharp instrument – 41% more than other age groups. In total, 78 under-25s were killed with a blade across the country in the 12 months to March 2023.

In Croydon there were 681 blade attacks in the same period, making it one of the worst spots in the UK. Elianne was on her way to the Old Palace of John Whitgift School when she was stabbed multiple times on September 26 last year. Hassan Sentamu, 18, who denies her murder, is due to stand trial at the Old Bailey.

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She was among a string of teenagers stabbed to death near schools. Alfie Lewis, 15, was knifed through the heart by another teen as he made his way home from school in Leeds last November. This April Daniel Anjorin, 14, was attacked with a sword as he walked to lessons in Hainault, East London.

We joined the patrol, where volunteer Danni, a mum of two from South Norwood, South London, told us the murders were a wake-up call. She said: “The childhood I had is very different to the childhood my children are having and when I heard the news of more young people losing their lives, particularly in our area, I knew something needed to change. The hope is that someone being there for young people will help and could curb this problem.”

It’s a similar story for Stuart and his wife Laura, who plan to start a family. Laura, 37, said: “That something so shocking and sad could happen to a child down the road gave us pause for thought. When we realised children weren’t safe just trying to get to school we knew it was time for us to step in. In Croydon, everyone has been ground down to not expect much in terms of protection and standard of life, which is not what we want for our future children.”

Ten volunteers work on rotation in knife-crime hotspots near schools and colleges three days a week. They operate closely with head teachers and are trained in de-escalation and bleed control. The group is yet to deal with anything major – and they hope the patrols are to thank for this.

Daniyel, 43, said: “Everyone now knows we are around, so our presence has definitely had an impact. We’ve built a rapport with many – they see our uniform and know it’s us. And the reception from the community has been beautiful. People come up and talk to us and thank us for the work we’re doing.”

Patrol member Stuart, 42, added: “To begin with the kids were a little bit standoffish and cautious. But once you break that initial fear down and they realise we’re here to fight their corner, I like to think we’re a reassuring presence. Someone who is scared of encountering violence on the way to school might feel a bit better for it, or someone who is thinking about causing violence on the way to school might think again.”

Protecting young lives has always been a priority for patrol member and retired head teacher Peter, who spent three decades in education.

He said: “As a group we act on intelligence and teachers often alert us to issues in particular areas, so I’m learning a lot all the time.” The patrols have been running for nearly a year and the group hopes to roll out the scheme across other London boroughs, and eventually go nationwide.

Daniyel added: “I hope what we’ve done here to look out for our children gives other areas a framework to follow suit.”

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