Peter Andre says he was ‘petrified’ when his eldest children started to go out into the world on their own thanks to the recent surge in knife crime. And the star has also spoken about his fears for the future with a heartbreaking update on his mum and dad’s health.
Andre has spoken of his safety fears for eldest children Junior, 19, and Princess, 17, who he shares with Katie Price. Andre has spoken of his fears to OK Magazine! after the fatal stabbing of a 14-year-old boy on a bus in London.
Peter, 51, says he was ‘petrified’ when Princess and Junior first started using public transport on their own. He said: “It was so tragic to hear about the 14-year-old boy, Kelyan Bokassa, who was stabbed on a London bus. I can’t imagine that feeling as a parent. I remember when Junior and Princess started to go on trains – I was petrified.
“Sometimes I wouldn’t let them but then I thought, you need to let kids grow up and can’t wrap cotton wool around them. But the problem is, the world is unsafe and you can’t protect them all of the time. My heart aches for that young boy’s family. Knife crime is a real issue that needs to be dealt with. My thoughts are with his family.
The star has also spoken about his wider family, including his fears for his mother, adding: “Unfortunately, our mother’s health has declined a lot, which has been tough, but I won’t forget this time we’ve had. My brother, sister and I have been telling her how much we love her multiple times daily! Knowing what they did for us as children, it’s an honour to be able to help her. My dad is doing OK, although I’ve noticed a decline in him too. He’s 92 in July, which is amazing.”
Knife crime in England and Wales saw a 4% increase in the year ending March 2024, with 50,510 recorded offences, up from 48,409 in the previous year. Despite this rise, the current figures remain 3% below the pre-pandemic levels of 51,982 offences in the year ending March 2020.
Robberies involving knives have notably increased by 13%, from 18,787 in 2022/23 to 21,226 in 2023/24, though still below the 22,727 recorded in 2019/20. Knife-enabled murders slightly rose to 233 in the year ending March 2024, compared to 226 in the previous year, yet remain lower than the 253 incidents in 2019/20. Conversely, offences categorized as “possession of article with a blade or point” decreased by 3% to 27,470 in 2023/24, following substantial increases in prior years, possibly due to targeted police actions.
Geographically, the West Midlands Police area reported the highest rate of knife crime, with 178 offences per 100,000 people, surpassing the Metropolitan Police’s rate of 169 per 100,000. In absolute numbers, the Metropolitan Police recorded 14,961 knife offences, accounting for 30% of the total in England and Wales, while West Midlands Police reported 5,268 offences, representing 10% of the total.