Family of murdered Mansfield man join police knife crime awareness event

More than 200 young people and families attended the community initiative, known as IMPACT, at Edwards Lane Community Centre in Sherwood on July 20.

Among those there was Chloe Castledine, whose 22-year-old brother Danny was stabbed to death when travelling through the Netherlands in 2022.

The Castledine family, from Mansfield, chose to share their immeasurable loss earlier this year in support of the force’s Sceptre campaign – a national knife crime week of action.

The event was organised by the youth outreach team as part of the force’s Prevention Hub, which is a collaboration between multiple force departments responsible for developing and delivering strategies to prevent crime and disorder throughout the city and county.

IMPACT also featured a speech from a former knife crime offender who had previously been jailed and suffered stab wounds.

Since escaping that lifestyle and having turned his life around, he shared his passion for skating and delivered the message that there are pathways out of offending available before it leads to tragedy.

The afternoon brought together 25 partner organisations, young people, inspirational guest speakers and the police to discuss the use of blades and the force’s county-wide work to educate people about, reduce, and prevent knife crime.

Chief Inspector Karl Thomas, Nottinghamshire Police’s knife crime lead, said: “The decision to carry a knife often has catastrophic consequences.

“It is vitally important that we engage with young people, educate them on the dangers of carrying blades, and equip them with the skills needed to make the right decision if they ever find themselves considering carrying or using a weapon.

“I would like to extend my thanks to the families and guest speakers who shared their stories with all of us – their input and support is invaluable.”

Romel Davis, Nottinghamshire Police’s youth outreach coordinator, added: “This was our third knife crime event and it was our best yet.

“I would like to thank all of our partners who got involved to support this initiative as it is more important than ever that we proactively engage with young people and offer them the space to talk freely with us about knife crime.”