'Speak out to save a life' - the message from grieving mum in knife crime campaign
Video report on the hard hitting campaign by Zoe Muldoon
Kelly Brown's life changed forever in September 2021 when her 16 year-old-son Rhamero West was stabbed to death in Manchester.
Manchester Crown court heard the teenager was chased down by a gang acting like a 'pack of wolves' before he was fatally knifed in Old Trafford. Three men have been jailed for life for his murder.
His mum set up a foundation, to raise awareness about knife crime and has also helped to install bleed safety cabinets around Manchester.
Now she has added her voice to a powerful video campaign to stop more families going through similar pain to her family.
The video was created by Greater Manchester’s Violence Reduction Unit in February 2022 in response to three fatal stabbings.
The film, which features athlete Diane Modahl and rapper ArrDee, hopes to encourage young people, parents and teachers to speak out and seek help if they are concerned about a young person carrying a weapon.
Titled #SpeakingOutCouldSaveALife it features local youth workers and a headteacher, and has already been seen by over 500,000 people.
Greater Manchester Police say they can't tackle this epidemic alone and they need help from the public to stop more senseless deaths.
The video graphically shows how knife crime impacts individuals and communities, and what to do if people are concerned about a friend or loved one or if you feel at risk of violence yourself.
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “We see far too often the devastating consequences of knife crime and serious violence. The saddest part is that these tragic incidents are preventable."
“We need everyone’s help to end violence amongst young people. Help and support for young people and parents is available."
“It’s also important for anyone who is tempted to carry a knife to remember that doing so puts you at great risk, and there are serious consequences to this decision.”
Greater Manchester Police’s knife crime lead, Superintendent Caroline Hemingway, said: "We all have a part to play in preventing knife crime, whether that’s talking to people about the dangers of it or stopping yourself from carrying a knife.
“GMP continues to target those involved in knife crime, as well as educating everyone on the dangers of carrying a knife in the hope that we will see a reduction in incidents."
"Hopefully this video will start a conversation that develops into an understanding of the potential dangers and changes people’s mindset around ‘needing to carry a knife’.
“It’s vital that members of the public continue to report any information or intelligence that you may have, no matter how big or small."
Matthew Norford, CEO of 1Message is an ex gang member and no stranger to the police.
After his brother died, Matthew turned to violence and gangs. He has now turned his life around and mentors young people about the impact of crime.
“I am really pleased that I am able to use my life experiences to help other young people that might be in difficult situations or involved in serious violence.
“The message I want to get across to any young person that sees something that’s wrong, might be in trouble, or knows a friend that’s in trouble, is don’t be scared to speak out and ask for help.
Parents, teachers, social workers and the police are all there to help you. If you see something, speak out about it, you could save a life.”
The campaign has key awareness messaging on social media, other digital platforms and out in communities across Greater Manchester, reminding people that #SpeakingOutCanSaveALife