Football / young people
Community football event held to tackle knife crime
A football event has been held in north Bristol to “bring community together through sport”.
The event at Lockleaze Sports Centre was organised by Bristol Somali Youth Voice (BSYV) and saw dozens of young people from various backgrounds take part.
It was organised to raise awareness and address youth violence and knife crime through sport.
is needed now More than ever
It opened with speeches by Mohamed Sayaqle, chair of BSYV; Sarah Crew, chief constable of Avon and Somerset Police; and Sharon Foster, high sheriff of Bristol.
Speaking at the event on Sunday, Sayaqle said: “Bringing community together is so important and sport is such a miracle in bringing young people of all ages and communities from all walks of life together.
“We have lost a significant number of young people through knife crime and it’s not those who are in trouble losing their lives through the knife crime, it’s the young people who are on the right path.
“There is no one who is away from the knife crime and in order to stop that, we want to do things together, we need to work collaboratively with the police. It’s not something that only police can stop.
“In order to go forward we need to work together to tackle down the knife crime and what we need to is think about what you can do personally, like simply reporting the crime.
“I want you to do your bit to have a safer neighbourhood and safer city as well.”
BSYV is an organisation that advocates and empowers disadvantaged young people in Bristol predominantly from minority ethnic communities including Somali.
Main photo: Charlie Watts
Read next:
- Public meeting to be held after spate of stabbings in community
- Stabbing victim’s mother speaks out as police urge witnesses to come forward
- Vigil held to remember St Paul’s stabbing victim
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