Ipswich actor attends anti knife crime event in Nacton

The anti-knife crime event at Murrayside Community Centre on Friday evening had speakers including actor and spoken word artist Kashif O’Connor and Ipswich councillors.

Mr O’Connor, who grew up in poverty in Ipswich and experienced gang culture from a young age, performed spoken word.

Kashif O'Connor gave a spoken word performance (Image: Kashif O'Connor)

He explained to the audience, which included young children, that they all have something to offer and stressed the importance of loving themselves.

These thoughts were echoed by the spoken word artist and rapper Tisrespect who said he had been involved with gangs and drugs in the past but highlighted his own success story, as he is now a musician, mentor and motivational speaker. 

Representatives of Suffolk County Council’s Child Criminal Exploitation hub also attended and explained how serious the issue of knife crime is nationally and how to avoid being drawn into gangs.

The event was held to explain how to keep young people safe (Image: Jude Holden)

The event is part of the national Knife Crime Awareness Week and was funded by Ipswich Borough Council but was organised by the local group, Race for Change.

Imani Sorhaindo, one of the organisers, explained the importance of holding the event.

She said: “There’s been a lot of bad press about Nacton but there’s a lot of youth talent.

“Young people need things to strive for and they need to be aware of keeping safe in terms of potentially being groomed and getting into county lines.

“It’s really about giving them the key information so they can stay safe be informed and know who’s out there who can support them.”

Her co-organiser Denise Gibbons added: “It’s about asking them, ‘what’s your dream? What’s your ambition in life?’ and about recognising their talent.”

The Nacton estate has experienced a number of gang related incidents and it was on the estate in Packard Avenue where Tavis Spencer-Aitkens, 17, was fatally stabbed.

According to the Office for National Statistics, knife-enabled crime recorded by the police nationally in the year ending December 2023 increased by 7% (49,489 offences) compared with the year ending December 2022 (46,153 offences).

Notable increases were seen in the number of robberies involving a knife or sharp instrument (up 20% compared with the previous year).

However, knife-enabled crime overall was still 3% lower than pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic levels in the year ending March 2020 (51,206 offences).