Chicken boxes with knife crime 'solutions' delivered to Home Office

Campaigners outside the Home Office included one wearing a chicken suit Credit: Megan Baynes/PA

A group of campaigners were invited into the Home Office after turning up with solutions to knife crime written on chicken boxes.

The move by content agency Word on the Curb was a response to the Government’s decision to spend more than £57,000 distributing anti-knife-crime messaging on packaging in chicken shops across England and Wales.

The boxes are printed with real-life stories about young people who have chosen to pursue positive activities instead of carrying a knife.

The Home Office’s campaign was branded "embarrassing", "stupid" and "borderline racist" by critics including shadow home secretary Diane Abbot, after it was unveiled last week.

Campaigners were invited in to the Home Office, although the chicken boxes were not allowed past security. Credit: PA

Hayel Wartemberg and Ndubuisi Uchea took to the streets with chicken boxes and encouraged Londoners to write their own responses on them by hand, with the aim of delivering the messages to the Home Office.

Solutions offered by members of the public included interest-free business loans for young people at risk, specialised officers in schools and investing in education and youth services.

Nana Opdeu-agyeman, who turned up dressed like a chicken, said: "Their campaign was very demeaning.

"I think they need to go back to the drawing board and think of different solutions.

"We just went to Stratford, I don’t see why they couldn’t do the same."

The boxes, which were pinned on a large board, were not allowed past security and in to the building.

Solutions to knife crime were written on chicken boxes and pinned on a board. Credit: Megan Baynes/PA

But after gathering outside, the group were invited in to meet with two staff members, who gave them an email address and encouraged them to send across their suggestions for tackling violent crime.

Mr Uchea said: "We are hoping that this would lead to some sort of action.

"Our idea was to utilise Londoners and subvert this campaign and turn it into something far better."

Mr Wartemberg said: "We feel happy.

"We have been able to speak to someone and people have seen our campaign and had an opinion on it which is enough.

"We are only as happy as the outcome.

"If nothing happens on it you are negating the power on what we are doing."

Representatives from Word on the Curb met outside the Home Office Credit: Word on the Curb

He added the boxes were "absolutely" a waste of money, which could have been put back into youth services.

The Government’s #knifefree messaging will appear on 321,000 chicken boxes at outlets in England and Wales including Morley’s, Chicken Cottage and Dixy Chicken.

On the campaign’s announcement, Policing Minister Kit Malthouse said: "These chicken boxes will bring home to thousands of young people the tragic consequences of carrying a knife and challenge the idea that it makes you safer.

"The Government is doing everything it can to tackle the senseless violence that is traumatising communities and claiming too many young lives, including bolstering the police’s ranks with 20,000 new police officers on our streets."