Mum who lost her 17-year-old son to fatal stabbing backs new multi-agency strategy in Northamptonshire

A Northamptonshire mother who lost her son to a fatal stabbing more than five years ago has praised the county for its new strategy to tackle crime and serious violence.

Organisations from all over Northamptonshire came together on Wednesday, March 6, for the launch of the Serious Violence Prevention Partnership. The strategy looks at gaining an understanding of the root causes of violence and developing early interventions to not just tackle, but prevent crime.

Cheri Curran, who lost her 17-year-old son Louis-Ryan Menezes to a fatal stabbing in 2018, has been a powerful advocate for education and awareness around knife crime.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, she said: “I think it’s absolutely outstanding what’s happened here and today’s launch signifies just how well our county has done. There’s no doubt in my mind that these subjects are really being taken seriously by everybody involved.

“Losing your child is the worst thing that can happen and in such a horrific manner. They’re abhorrent crimes committed by young people to other young people.

“I think by sharing my story, by sharing Louis-Ryan, I can hope to impact some children, some young people, families, carers into keeping the subject of knife crime open and bringing it back to the dinner table.”

A number of different partners came together to share their combined efforts to reduce crime and raise awareness, including the Northampton Saints Foundation and the Exodus Programme at Upskill U. In-house projects such as the Community Initiative to Reduce Violence (CIRV) have also been instrumental in addressing violent behaviour among suspected or known gang members and individuals at risk of gang involvement or criminal exploitation.

Cheri added: “It’s an absolutely essential message to get through to [young people] that they can be anybody they want to be and their dreams and aspirations can be met. For some families such as myself our children’s futures are gone and they won’t be met.

“For me, this is what it is, this is how hard it is, and this is the end of the line. It’s by speaking out and the collaborations that are in this room today that we can really make a difference in some young people’s lives.”

Alongside awareness and intervention projects, more than 30 OPFCC-funded bleed kits have now been installed across the county. These play a crucial role in providing immediate medical assistance in the event of a violent incident and could potentially save lives.

Police Fire and Crime Commissioner, Stephen Mold said: “There’s lots of great work already going on from the council, but by us better connecting together and sharing all the data you can’t not have better outcomes for young people.

“Northamptonshire is a fantastic place to be able to come and live and, actually, we’re already having some great successes. That’s still not enough and our ambition should be to eradicate knife crime, to eradicate violence altogether.

“Tackling serious violence is a matter of priority for Northamptonshire Police and we’re pleased to be working closely with partners to help reduce offences and the impact these crimes can have on victims and our communities.”