Recently the Children and Young Peoples and Community Safety and Housing Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committees, chaired by Cllr James O’Rourke, joined forces to take evidence on how Knife Crime was being tackled in Waltham Forest.

Sixty people attended representing a myriad of internal and external key partners involved in tackling knife crime in Waltham Forest. A number of interested residents also attended.

Evidence was taken from a wide range of witnesses including the Police, Crown Prosecution Service, Job Centre Plus, schools & colleges and trading standards. Vital evidence was supplied by three representatives of the Youth Independent Advisory Group who gave Councillors of the committees and other attendees an enthralling account from young people’s perspective.

Disappointingly, the only media coverage, by WF Guardian, concentrated on the Police when curiously, their reporter, in her blog, gave a marginally better account of the meeting than was officially reported in their website and paper.

Cllr O’Rourke said: “The point that needs to be made is we managed to get sixty people from partners relating to knife crime to start the debate on how to eradicate this serious problem. I agree with the reporter that a three hour meeting cannot address the ills of the world. However, it was a start and I will not allow the issue of knife/youth crime to disappear into the ether to await another tragedy. Watch this space.”