The Knife Angel has left Worcester after a month of events, youth work and selfies in Cathedral Square.
The statue, officially called the National Monument Against Violence and Aggression, left the city about 2am today and has since arrived in its new temporary home in Stoke-on-Trent.
Worcester City Council’s Youth Intervention Team, which used the Knife Angel’s presence to raise awareness of knife crime and other issues throughout March, said more than 150,000 people had visited the statue during its month-long stay.
The Knife Angel arrived in the early hours on March 1 and quickly caught Worcester’s imagination as the 27-foot statue towered over Cathedral Square.
The statue was designed by Alfie Bradley at the British Ironwork Centre (BIC) in Oswestry and is made from more than 100,000 knives seized by police forces across the UK.
The Knife Angel left the City for Stoke on Trent just after 2am today! Although still adding up numbers from various sources. Visitors numbers are over 150,000.. And we will still continue the awareness work for quite some time to come. @myworcester #knifeangelworcester pic.twitter.com/6mYLT52KX1
— Youth Intervention & Community SafetyTeam (@WCCYouthTeam) April 1, 2022
As well as providing a talking point and a photo opportunity, the Knife Angel served a practical purpose as more than 140 weapons were surrendered in an amnesty box placed in front of the statue, according to the police.
Fergus Green, temporary chief inspector for West Mercia Police, said: “We will continue to work hard to keep knives off our streets and keep everyone safe.
Police knife crime initiative
“Working with Worcestershire County Council, we have launched the Steer Clear initiative – delivering workshops to young people and their families to warn about the dangers of carrying knives.
"Protecting young people from harm is absolutely integral to local policing and that of the entire force. We hope that by putting on these workshops, children in our communities will recognise the risks of carrying knives and think twice before getting involved in criminal activity.”
Former Britain’s Got Talent contestant Stu Goldsmith was among those to take advantage of the Knife Angel as a filming backdrop, as he shot scenes for his upcoming knife crime documentary.
Deansway was closed for a few hours in the early hours of this morning as the Knife Angel left the city. Traffic management was provided by Ringway Worcestershire at no cost to the public purse.
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