A knife crime activist whose brother was stabbed to death says the police have "upped their game" in tackling the issue, but more can be done.

Paul Stansby, 41, and co-owner of Lucky 13 Tattoo Studio in Ipswich, has called for more work to battle knife crime as Suffolk begins its week of action as part of a national campaign called Operation Sceptre.

The campaign involves officers going into shops to discuss how to stop knives from being taken and going into schools to speak about the dangers of knife crime.

Mr Stansby, who has campaigned against knife crime since his brother, Dean, was fatally stabbed near Ipswich railway station in February 2017, says it’s not enough.

He said: “I’ve been at this six and half years. The police have upped their game a bit but each year the same stuff happens. It can’t just be one moment in the year, there needs to be control all year.

He said police engagement in schools was "massive" but sometimes not always engaged with by young people.

He added: "When you have people from the streets educating that’s when they’re going to absorb the information."

Mr Stansby was speaking the week after a 16-year-old boy was found guilty of murdering Harley Barfield, also 16, in a knife attack in Haverhill earlier this year.

Ipswich Star: Harley Barfield, who was murdered in a knife attack in Haverhill earlier this yearHarley Barfield, who was murdered in a knife attack in Haverhill earlier this year (Image: Suffolk Constabulary)

Mr Stansby runs the Be Lucky Anti-Crime Foundation and added: “We are now going into schools where we are educating the kids before they go to high school, before they get groomed into an affiliation."

Acting Inspector for Suffolk Police Callum Appleby said: “Operation Sceptre is a twice a yearly national event, but our campaign to tackle knife crime never ends.  

"We routinely work with partners such as schools to raise awareness of the dangers of carrying knives and educate about the possible consequences.  

"Suffolk Constabulary always takes a proactive approach to tackling knife crime and we have dedicated teams that not only target knife crime and its root causes within Suffolk but also engage with those who are deemed to be at risk of carrying a knife.

"We welcome the role others can play – parents, guardians and extended family members – in getting our message across."