By Cllr Jason Brock
Last week, I was at the unveiling of a new, thought-provoking piece of art in the heart of Reading. It stands as a physical symbol for peace and hope and is, in part, created from blades handed in to knife amnesty bins across Reading and the rest of the Thames Valley.
Viewed in isolation, the Armoured Heart, situated outside The Oracle shopping centre on the banks of the River Kennet, is a striking piece of public art. But the story behind it is both unique and inspirational.
It has been created by young people from Reading’s Starting Point charity, who have been involved in a project focusing on tackling knife crime and violence in our town and providing input to what the sculpture should both look like and stand for.
Since a national peak in knife crime in 2019, across the Thames Valley knife-enabled crime has fallen by over 21%. In Reading from April 2022 to March 2023, there were 191 recorded knife-enabled crimes, five more than in the previous year.
While knife crime statistics in Reading remain stable, and we are fortunate that we don’t see the level of it here that some parts of the country are blighted by, we know that any incident involving a knife has the capacity to end in tragedy.
In recent years, we have endured tragic knife-related incidents in Reading that will remain with us forever, and we hold those who have lost their lives in our thoughts.
Reading’s community has always done what it does best – becoming stronger in the face of adversity, pulling together to look after each other, and standing together against such violence.
Too often, incidents leave lives ruined and communities in fear. Knife crime disproportionately affects young people, and we see close links between drugs and other criminality as drivers of violence.
Of course, concerns remain about the numbers of knife possession offences, in part a response to increased policing efforts targeting those who we know are involved in crime. We all have a role to play in challenging any culture that carrying a knife is acceptable or necessary, even if, as we often hear, it’s for protection.
You can visit the Armoured Heart sculpture and learn more on how it came about from its adjacent information board. The sculpture is directly linked to its own website – a QR code on the information board take you through to it. The site also includes a range of educational resources and places to turn to for help and guidance.
It will host information for parents, community leaders and professionals to help us keep young people safe and combat violence.
This will be followed by a month of action in July, where the installation will be the catalyst for an educational outreach programme aiming to help young people reach their potential and challenge any culture that sees knives or violence as acceptable.
What the Armoured Heart project brought home to me most was what a giving, collaborative community we are part of in Reading, with so many people willing to give up their time and effort to do good in our town. There are too many to list here, but my personal thanks go to all partners involved.
There’s a part to play for everyone in Reading to help us stand together against knife crime and violence. Together we can limit the damage that it can do.
Cllr Jason Brock is the leader of Reading Borough Council and ward member for Southcote
