A huge sculpture made out of thousands of blades surrendered under a police amnesty scheme is a poignant tribute to the victims of violent crime. It’s been made from around 100,000 knives that were surrendered at more than 40 police stations across England and Wales. The statue aims to raise awareness of the campaign, "Save a Life, Surrender Your Knife," and the growing issue of knife crime throughout the UK.

 

Called appropriately, the Knife Angel – it is on display at the British Ironwork Centre in Shropshire. The eight-meter-high sculpture has been put together by 25-year-old sculptor Alfie Bradley and took years to complete. His friend being stabbed prompted the artist to create something to help spread the message of anti–knife violence.

 

 

The families of people who have suffered due to knife crime have supported the project and hope it will bring healing to those who have lost loved ones. A few of the bereaved families have also had messages or inscriptions engraved on the wings of the sculpture. The below video from BBC shows how the sculpture was made.

 

 

The British Ironwork Center supported the police in their efforts to stop knife crime and as a result made and loaned the police over 500 knife banks which allowed people to surrender their knifes.

 

The 27-foot sculpture took Bradley more than 18 months to build and weighs around 8.5 tons. If all goes well, it will likely be put on display at the Trafalgar Square, go on a UK tour, and then eventually a permanent home in the center of Manchester.