‘We’re stuck in a swamp of knife crime’

“People want change. There are good people here trying,” said Desmond Brown, founder of Growing Futures.

His organization works with young people involved in serious youth violence, including those affected by knife crime, and disadvantaged communities.

“When there is serious violence and the murder of children by other children, we see hand-wringing and people getting very upset and looking for silver bullets for that moment,” he said.

“What we see next is that the medium to long term planning for how we solve these problems suddenly goes out the window and there is a lull, and nothing ever happens.”

Mr Brown said that as community groups come together, he is “difficult to see material change on the ground”.

“I think we’re still in a quagmire,” he said.