Bristol has been devastated by knife crime over the past two years. It dominated the headlines in 2023, where Bristol Live reported on an incident involving a knife more than once a week on average, and knife crime in Bristol was subject to national attention in 2024.
In 2025, knife crime remains high on the news agenda as people have been sentenced for their roles in the stabbing of people in Bristol. Against this backdrop, one year ago today we launched the Together for Change anti-knife crime campaign.
Together for Change was created by Bristol Live and the Bristol Post to say enough is enough. We joined forces with Bristol’s other media organisations The Cable, Bristol 247 and BristolWorld, as well as community leaders, charities and campaigners, to set out a list of goals we wanted to achieve.
Our goals included working with campaigners to highlight initiatives to get knives off the street, to raise awareness of how other factors including poverty, cuts to youth services and social exclusion link into knife crime, and setting up a task force to determine how we can really make a difference.
Looking at social media and assessing harmful content, holding power, including Avon and Somerset Police and Bristol City Council, to account and lobbying the government using the context of the General Election are other goals which were established. Throughout the last year we have set about making a change.
One of the ways we have encouraged this was by reporting on knife crime on a deeper level than just the horrific crime itself. Covering all angles, we’ve been inside the courtroom as murderers were sentenced, spoken to the families of victims of knife crime, and highlighted how other factors can affect knife crime.
What are the plans for Together for Change moving forward?
Our campaign will not be slowing down as it moves into its second year. Bristol Live has put plans into place with the campaign partners in a bid to help prevent knife crime.
Bristol Live has been working with supporters with the aim of identifying and opening a dedicated safe space for young people in South Bristol. This is in the early stages of development but is progressing along.
Bristol Live senior editor Pete Gavan said: “One year on, the issue of knife crime and how to tackle it remains as important as ever. So far the campaign has brought together people from across the city with the goal of taking action.
“We know this is not something we’re going to beat in the short term but with the city-wide approach, we hope to make a practical difference as we look forward through 2025 and beyond.”
A year of reporting the bigger picture
Together For Change Aims
Set up a task force – We will develop a community-driven task force to meet and discuss the issue, how best to tackle it and how we can make a real difference with those in power.
Getting knives off the street – We will work with the campaigners to raise awareness of initiatives designed to get knives off the streets.
Social media – We will look at the Online Safety Bill and see if it goes far enough where it comes to harmful knife-related content on social media and how easy it is for children to see.
Raise awareness – We will work together to raise the awareness of how knife crime is linked to poverty, education, employment, social exclusion and the collapse in youth services
Lobby the government -We will cover the issue in the context of the General Election, using our findings from the taskforce and our reporting to lobby for change
Hold power to account – We will scrutinise and hold Avon and Somerset Police and Bristol City Council to account on their plans and models to make Bristol safer
A director of a youth club in Bristol said that financial difficulties meant that the club was struggling to survive, and worried about the loss of a positive impact on the overall community. Places which give a sense of community to young people, like Empire Fighting Chance, helps young people turn their life around even when they feel unable to get help.
Charities like Mikey’s World were set up to help raise awareness of bleed kits, campaigners like Leanne Reynolds had long pushed for bleed kits to be installed and a plumbing firm helped install more in July. A bleed kit was credited with saving a boy’s life after a freak accident.
Avon & Somerset Police have installed bleed kits in vital locations, including at Castle Park, since it started its own initiative in 2023. Alongside the bleed kit initiative, surrender bins have also been installed in Bristol and the wider region, leading to thousands of knives being removed from the streets of Bristol. These knives will be melted down to create a “positive legacy”.
The impact knife crime has had on both individuals and the wider community has been widely felt. Hayley Ryall, who lost her son Mikey Roynon to knife crime, thanked her friends, family and the community for supporting her through months of “hell”, Elliot Kinuthia, brother of Eddie Kinuthia, said that he will continue Eddie’s legacy as a “positive influence” and the mum of Max Dixon, Leanne Ekland, launched a new foundation in her son’s name.
A boxing coach said that young people were going to school “afraid and wary” of one another. A rapper from Bristol called for a five-year prison sentence for those caught carrying a knife, whilst drill music has also been called a contributing factor in knife crime.
Police expressed concern over teenagers being able to buy illegal knives online, and in a bid to leave a lasting impact, the Knife Angel visited Weston-super-Mare during an anti-crime tour.
Police also confirmed that 12,000 children from as young as nine-years-old will be taught about how to use bleed kits using a partnership with Lifeskills. The news divided opinion, and Bristol Live asked whether we, as a society, have failed children because it had led to youngsters learning about catastrophic bleeding.
In October, we held our first meeting of the supporters who make up the task force, which was very positive and helped us set out what areas we would be focussing our coverage on.
In November, five people were found guilty for the double murder of Max Dixon and Mason Rist in January. In the case of Darrian Williams, two teenagers were convicted of his murder.
This year, Winkworth Park was renamed in honour of Eddie King and the Prime Minister promised action to end “shockingly easy” access to buying knives online. However, supporters of the Together for Change campaign argued that more needs to be done to reduce knife crime. Sir Keir Starmer visited Bristol in February and thanked the family of Darrian Williams for their bleed kit campaign.