Suffolk County Council leaders agree to explore Ipswich knife crime strategy

Leaders have agreed to explore a new knife crime strategy pilot in a town.

On Thursday, Ipswich councillor, Sam Murray, brought forward a motion calling on county councillors to support the investigation into the benefits of piloting a knife crime action plan in Ipswich.

She said knife crime had become an epidemic in the town and although much had been done to address it, more was needed.

Cllr Murray added: "In my own community there have been armed robberies at local shops where people were just trying to make a living, people are quitting their jobs because they’re terrified of what might happen next.

“Imagine kissing your child goodbye in the morning, heading off to work and not knowing if you’ll make it home safely, should that be the reality of someone working in the Co-op?

“Children in Year 6 are being taught about knife crime as part of their Crucial Crew day — though needed, I find this heartbreaking, this is the world we’re handing to them.”

In September, the Castle Hill councillor brought forward a similar motion to Ipswich Borough Council but was turned down as borough leaders felt the current serious violence strategy was already set up, leading to county lines activity going down 'quite dramatically' as a result.

Ipswich MP, Jack Abbott, also disagreed with an Ipswich-specific strategy as the borough was not responsible for knife crime and called for a Suffolk knife crime coalition to be set up to expand on the existing Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) and give the police more agency in addressing challenges.

But Cllr Murray argued not all knife crime was related to county lines and stressed there should be an Ipswich-specific measure due to the town's different needs compared to more rural communities.

She added: "Ipswich is a wonderful town, it’s full of good salt-of-the-heart people, but our town is struggling, it’s not thriving the way it should and the huge part of that is because people do not feel safe here anymore."

Supporting the motion, Cllr Joe Mason, from Haverhill, recalled the fatal stabbing of Harley Barfield, 16, in January last year and called for more to be done.

He said: “Communities are the strongest when they’re working together toward a common aim — everybody has a part to play, as an avid litter picker, I’ve pulled 12-inch blades out of children’s playgrounds.

“Suffolk is a safe county, but we mustn’t be complacent because it is out there even in our quiet communities.”

The opposition spokesperson, Cllr Penny Otton, announced the GLI group's support for the motion but called for specific attention to be given to several aspects of knife crime, including education, social inclusion, poverty and the ease of acquiring knives.

Cllr Bobby Bennett, the lead for the county's children and young people's services, drew attention to those who were both victims and perpetrators and who went from being a 'child at risk to a youth seen as a risk'.

Suggestions were made that a successful pilot scheme in Ipswich could lead to others being set up to focus on specific places across the county.

The motion received unanimous support from those present during the meeting, including several Labour Ipswich councillors.

A meeting of the county council's safer stronger communities board will be held in March 2025 to investigate the benefits of an Ipswich-specific scheme.