‘This is a crisis, we need to be screaming it now’ – Idris Elba on his battle to end knife crime

Idris Elba decided in 2019 to speak out against knife crime. The actor made an emotional video in which he exhorted young men to put down their knives after seeing a news story about a teenage girl being fatally stabbed in an East London park.

Six years later, knife crime is still rising, with four people losing their lives each week as a result, and Idris has become actively involved in trying to find solutions. He is occasionally irritated and emotionally attached to the tasks, but he maintains his belief that positive change is possible despite the difficulties faced. The Luther star, and dad of three, says he’s entered the “noisy” phase of his campaign, which is why he’s made a hard-hitting BBC documentary to highlight the problems and flag some potential answers.

He admits it made him cry the day we meet and that he had just watched the finished movie. It’s undoubtedly a difficult watch because of the stark facts and warnings, but it also has success stories of young people being helped to turn away from knives through mentors, schemes, and interventions. He anticipates that it will entice some viewers to take notice. “I wouldn’t mind a big old debate”, he says. This is a call to action, and we need to be screaming it right away. This gives you a chance to really consider the perspectives on offer. Some you will agree with, some of you won’t, but at least get engaged”.

Finance is a crucial component of the current budget, and he and other campaigners were disappointed because they were unaware of the lack of youth funding. “Needless to say, without funding, without real focus, it’s going to get worse”, he sighs. However, it’s also important to use the money that is available wisely. “We live in a data-driven world and there are stats that tell you this works, that doesn’t work. Let’s examine that closely and determine whether we are spending the money correctly.

Idris, who was born and raised in Hackney, England, claims that he was spurred on to act because he always believed he was lucky to have found success in the US series The Wire. A drama teacher at school impressed him with his acting abilities and assured him that he would be good actors. He now believes that he could have just as easily taken a different course. “I was like, ‘ What, acting? I just like you, miss. I enjoy attending your class very much. I can’t be an actor. ‘ She’s like, ‘ Why not? ‘ Fourteen years old, I was swayed. Could have been someone telling me, “Bro, you can make a lot of money if you just shoved this little bag for me.” Could have been used in the same manner.

In light of this, he believes that early intervention, including early intervention through schemes and mentors, is essential for success in knife crime, preventing children from being gang-raped. I do believe that if we raise the age appropriate, we will have the opportunity to intervene and introduce them to a different life. We might be able to save four people for the following week.

One of the positive case studies features 16-year-old Jayden from Coventry, who was mentored by female cop Laura Cuthbertson. He had carried a knife since the age of 12 after being “jumped” by 20 boys. The quiet teen, who has previously undiagnosed ADHD and autism, has blossomed in Laura’s care, which has seen him training as a football coach. “There’s some beauty in the world for me now that wasn’t there before”, he says.

Idris acknowledges that his words brought him to tears. “His experience of the world was always challenging”, the actor says. “No one picked up on that, so he put his fist up and his knife eventually. And then comes a policewoman who says, ‘ Hold on, let me help you. ‘ He didn’t even want to talk to her, but he did, eventually. Now at the end of that film when he talks, he’s not what people think knife crime is, a kid from Coventry. But he says there’s hope. I was moved when I saw it today. I was in tears”.

The statistics highlighted in the film are troubling. Idris believes that many people view knife crime as a problem for people of ethnic minorities, but 69% of those in the UK are white and knife crime is rising in rural areas. “It isn’t just a black and brown problem”, he says. We need to view it like COVID, in my opinion. It can affect everybody”.

He believes that the nation is becoming less and less tolerant of attacks in the capital following Kelyan Bokassa, 14, who was knifed more than 25 times while returning from a south London school. “If that young kid who got stabbed on the bus in Woolwich happened in a small seaside town, it would’ve actually caused a lot more media attention, unfortunately”, he says.

The big tech companies must also make changes, with 50% of young people claiming that social media makes knife-carrying acceptable. Their own policies, which are dictated by what society considers to be right or wrong, need to have accountability. We’re not going to tolerate you advertising knives to young people, please. It can be done”.

When Idris visits the Feltham Young Offenders Institution to speak to teenagers who have been convicted, he discovers that the threat of prison does not help. 30% of reoffend, with the highest rates occurring between 10 and 17 years old, occur in the film. By the time the boys are imprisoned, the governor claims it is frequently too late to change things. “It just felt like they were banged up and no one cares”, he says. sadly. We definitely feel like we have turned our back on them, she said. We anticipate that they will emerge prepared to reintegrate into society. For me, it was incredibly educational.

th the annual cost of imprisonment at Feltham an eye-watering £120k, he would like to see a move towards the Scottish system, which prioritises rehabilitation. “I do think that intervention is better than prevention. And it’s definitely cheaper”.

He believes there is a direct correlation between the number of children being involved in knife crime, with 75% of victims also being knife criminals, as headteachers’ budget struggles have caused an increase in school exclusions in the last ten years. Some of the figures we see in prison are undoubtedly related to inclusion. I believe we could become smarter if we actually sat down and looked at the money that goes into our educational system, literally line by line.

It’s too late for Ronan Kanda, who was killed with a 20-inch Ninja sword in a case of mistaken identity in June 2022, but his mother Pooja is a part of the effort to ensure no parent ever has to suffer as she did last year, he wants to see machetes and Ninja swords on the list.

His talks with Prime Minister Keir Starmer were fruitful, Idris says. “At the beginning of the campaign, I was hopeful, but that sounds naive. I’m now confident that some intervention schemes are effective, and that we can put our heads together to start them. He feels that Starmer is listening. He has made it very clear that he wants to end knife crime in ten years. That is a target. Whether or not we get there, at least it gives me hope that we’ll work toward it.

Idris, who was the only child of a Sierra Leonean father and mother of a Ghanaian man, claimed that when he returned to England after working in the US, his shock over knife crime grew. He acknowledges that doing nothing was no longer an option after admitting that celebrities get involved in politics “annoy him occasionally.” No one is piping up as I looked around. Nobody was saying anything”.

In 2019, he’d heard about the murder of Jodie Chesney, a 17-year-old stabbed in a park in east London. “I’ve got three kids, one of them’s a girl, and it broke my heart. I just was like, ‘ What is going on? ‘” Idris says in the video he posted in rage that day, “You’re just going to stab your future if you go and stab someone else.” Six years on, let’s hope more people are listening.

– Idris Elba: Our Knife Crime Crisis, BBC1, 9pm (Weds 29 Jan)

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Source: Mirror