Call for community summit to tackle knife crime across Milton Keynes
A community leader has called for a summit to tackle the issue of knife crime across Milton Keynes and Luton.
Chair of the Milton Keynes Bangladeshi Association Mohamed Khan says urgent action is needed and is calling on councils, the police, schools, health services, faith communities and voluntary organisations to work more closely together to prevent young people becoming involved in violence.
He is also calling on mosques and other faith communities to play a stronger role in supporting and engaging with young people.
Mr Khan says he believes a summit bringing together young people and representatives from the groups listed above is the most effective course of action.
Mr Khan’s call comes after a 26-year-old man died in Bletchley last month after being fatally stabbed in the chest.
He said: “We cannot wait until another young person loses their life before we act.
“Every young life lost to knife crime is a tragedy for a family and for the whole community.
“Young people are not simply a problem to be solved. They are our future.
“We need to listen to them, invest in them and give them real opportunities to succeed.”
The association was founded in 2015 to serve the growing Bangladeshi community in Milton Keynes and has the motto and vision of engaging a ‘wider and diverse community.’