The Anti-violence Bee is the first UK sculpture to be made entirely from knives and firearms. It is visiting schools, community hubs and town centres to educate and raise awareness of the dangers of carrying weapons.
Join us to show your support for getting knives off the street and keeping our communities safe.
The Anti-violence bee will be visiting Southwater at the Telford Town Centre on Saturday 19 of November 2022, from 10:00am until 3:00pm.
The Anti-violence Bee was created by the British Ironwork Centre in Oswestry, Shropshire, the same company that made the Knife Angel, which attracted thousands of visitors to its tour of cities across the country. It’s hoped the Bee will replicate the Knife Angel’s impact but also reach more communities in the region – it has been specially designed on a trailer to allow it to be easily transported to schools and public spaces.
Two years in the making, the Anti-violence Bee was originally commissioned by Greater Manchester Police and it is made up of thousands of weapons taken from the streets of the city. The worker bee is an important symbol to the people of Manchester and was chosen to show the strength of community.
Working in partnership with local councils, West Mercia Police is delighted to secure the Bee at the start of a national tour, and also to coincide with Operation Sceptre, a national operation designed to educate young people about the dangers and consequences of carrying a knife, target those who carry weapons and disrupt the sale and supply of knives.
More information on the Anti-violence bee tour in West Mercia is available here.
Officers will also be promoting Fearless, a website through the charity Crimestoppers, where young people can access non-judgmental information and advice about crime and criminality. For more information, please see Fearless.org.
This article was written by the Lawley and Overdale Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT).