Knife Angel sculpture to go on display in Colchester

The Knife Angel, dubbed the national monument against violence and aggression, will be temporarily housed next to the Jumbo water tower throughout October.

The striking 27ft, 3.5 ton, sculpture serves as a memorial to victims who have lost their lives to knife violence.

It comes during a programme of activities, events and awareness-raising campaigns planned by Colchester Council on blade crime.

Striking - the Knife Angel sculpture will be in Colchester throughout October (Image: Colchester Council)

The council’s communities boss Natalie Sommers said she hopes it provokes “a meaningful conversation about the devastating of knife crime”.

“Over the years, Colchester has experienced its own tragedies with lives being lost to knife crime,” she said.

“This visit serves as a poignant tribute to those lost lives and the importance of working together to prevent further tragedy.”

The Gazette revealed last month that the number of criminals carrying weapons in Colchester increased over the past year.

Poignant - the sculpture comprises of more than 100,000 knives (Image: Colchester Council)

Essex Police data shows 157 weapons possession offences were recorded in the year to June.

But Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington said the numbers are up because “proactive” police officers are catching more criminals.

“They are making arrests and that is having a deterrent effect and this will have an impact,” he said.

Chief Insp Colin Cox, Colchester District Commander, said “significant effort” is being made to tackle knife crime in the city.

Support - Chief Insp Colin Cox, Colchester District Commander (Image: Newsquest)

He said: “Knife crime destroys lives and one family losing a loved one to knife crime is clearly one too many.

“We put significant effort into tackling knife crime in Colchester, including hotspot policing, intelligence gathering, and deploying knife arches.

“The number of people carrying weapons is small, and our proactive approach means we are finding them and dealing with them, resulting in the reduction in knife crime across the county.”

The sculpture’s arrival in Colchester has also been backed by Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex Roger Hirst.

“It powerfully reminds us of the tragedies and heartbreak caused by knife crime, but also gives us a reason to talk about the dangers possession of a knife brings,” he said.