Haunting Knife Angel made from 100,000 knives will stand in Northampton town centre this summer

The 27-foot tall statue made from over 100,000 confiscated knives is coming to Northampton town centre.

Wherever it tours goes across the country, the National Monument Against Violence and Aggression stands as a graphic reminder of the size and severity of knife crime in the UK.

The 27-foot tall statue of an angel was created using more than 100,000 confiscated knives.

And this June, the Angel will loom over Northampton town centre when it comes to the plaza in front of the All Saints Church, on Mercer's Row.

The Knife Angel's creator, Alfie Bradley, describes it as "a memorial to those whose lives have been affected by knife crime". Credit James Hardisty.

The exhibition has been booked by Northampton-based C2C Social Action, a charity that offers pastoral care to offenders.

It comes after the scale of knife-crime in Northamptonshire was laid bare in a trial in November 2019, when five young men were jailed for more than 100 years between them for the brutal killing of 23-year-old Reece Ottaway.

As part of the sentencing, a report by Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Behan was read to the judge that spelled out how knives have become a plague in our county.

The report showed how Northamptonshire Police booked 888 knife-related offences in Northamptonshire between July 2018 and 2019.

And in 2018, Northamptonshire Police convicted 323 people for carrying a knife. This amounts to an increase of 78 per cent over a five-year period - the second-highest increase in the UK.

Northampton Borough Council Cabinet member for community engagement and safety, councillor Anna King, said: "We have all seen the devastating effects that knife crime is having on communities across the UK, including our town.

"We are proud to be hosting this powerful visual symbol and we will be using the opportunity of having the Knife Angel in Northampton as a catalyst for a week of action at the beginning of June."

CEO of C2C Social Action Angie Kennedy said: "The Knife Angel coming to Northampton is really exciting. It is an amazing privilege to have the opportunity to host this inspirational piece of work for Northamptonshire

"I hope it will highlight to young people throughout the county, that there are alternatives to gang culture and violence, that carrying a knife isn't a positive option and that there are different, positive ways to belong and reach their full potential."

The Angel's arrival date is yet to be announced.