'Knife crime is the most serious issue in Milton Keynes'

Police forces across England and Wales are taking part in Operation Sceptre this week in a bid to reduce the threat of knife crime. Officers in Milton Keynes have been given extra powers to stop and search - as the number of serious incidents involving knives rises.

But is enough being done to tackle knife crime in Milton Keynes?

Jay Fathers was stabbed to death at a New Year's Eve party friend's house in Milton Keynes in 2020.

The 18-year-old's father, Jason Fathers, says his murder "ripped us apart".

"We'll never get over it, he was taken away too young, too soon," he says.

Mr Fathers is now working with police and community groups on programmes to prevent further knife crime.

He says if he encountered someone who carries a knife "I'd tell them the impact it has not just on us, the family of the person that's been stabbed, but also their own family".

He says he wants to "just to put the message across there is no place in society for cowards who carry a weapon to protect themselves".

"There's a lot of knife crime in Milton Keynes, it's all young kids, some in gangs but some who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time," he says.

There have been further stab deaths since his son's and Mr Fathers says it is "sickening to know someone has lost their life from something you keep in your kitchen and are meant to be used for cooking".

"I'm going to fight for Jay's legacy for the rest of my life, I feel passionate about preventing kids [getting into crime] and speaking to them about knife crime," he says.

The leader of Milton Keynes Council, Pete Marland, says: "We've just had a local election and when we're knocking on doors, knife crime is the most serious issue in Milton Keynes.

"It comes up even above the cost of living crisis and that's really worrying."

The Labour politician says the reason is it such a big issue is "partly because of the level of knife crime in Milton Keynes and traditionally Milton Keynes has experienced village levels of crime because we're a new town".

He says the section 60 orders, which allow police extra stop and search measures, "aren't working".

Mr Marland says he is asking the Thames Valley police and crime commissioner and the Chief Constable "for more police on the street and community policing gathering intelligence".

"I think we need more resources across Thames Valley, it is a big place and now Milton Keynes is the biggest urban area, so we're calling on less officers in places like Henley-on-Thames and more police officers in places where actual crime happens, where knife crime happens, like Milton Keynes."

Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner, Matthew Barber, says knife crime is "certainly number one on my list of concerns".

He says the issue "preoccupies the discussions I have with the Chief Constable and local commanders in Milton Keynes on how we tackle the challenge".

"There is understandable concern in the local community, the number of homicides we've seen in Milton Keynes is really concerning, we have a real issue that we are working hard to tackle," he says.

The Conservative says: "There are a lot of things that can be done some of it around police enforcement, but I think it is wider piece of work about attacking the culture of knife carrying, not exclusively, but particularly in young people."

He says he is working with police, the Crown Prosecution Service and the courts so "those people found carrying weapons feel the full force of the law".

"It's something we need the whole [justice] system to tackle", he says.

Mr Barber adds: "We need to work with the community, with schools and with parents to encourage everybody who has concerns about someone carrying a knife to report those - and make sure we provide support for young people when we get reports in, and give them opportunities to seek help."

He says the force is recruiting more officers, who will be deployed in the areas they are needed, and he is "getting them to the front line".

Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]