Harvey Willgoose: Mum of Sheffield teenager calls for 'knife arches in every school' following fatal stabbing
This is what the mum of a Sheffield teenager who was stabbed to death at school last week said to her friends, family and followers in a video last night.
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A memorial march attended by hundreds of people was held in Sheffield on Saturday (February 8) for Harvey Willgoose.
The 15-year-old died following an incident at All Saints Catholic High School one week ago today(February 3). A 15-year-old boy has been charged with his murder.
In a video to her Facebook followers last night (February 9), Harvey’s mum, Caroline, thanked the public for “getting her family through” the past week - and ended with a call to action.
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Hide AdMrs Willgoose said: “I just want to thank everybody for all they’ve done. It’s been getting us through this.
“I can’t get my head around it.
“People are saying ‘is there anything I can do’ - the one thing that I’m urgently saying is I want knife arches in every school. From tomorrow. As soon as we can.”
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Knife arches are free-standing metal detectors, sometimes seen in nightclubs and used by police for stop-and-search patrols and visibility operations.
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Hide AdCaroline is essentially calling for metal detectors at school gates to ensure children are not carrying knives in.
Mrs Willgoose continued: “I know it’s not nice, it’s not pleasant, I know it’ll take time. But nobody should have this should be dealing with this.


“I don’t want another child to be where Harvey is and the number one thing for me is knife arches in every school.
“Get behind us on this. Let’s fight for Harvey.”
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Hide AdWhat do the experts and Sheffield campaigners say about knife arches in schools?
The topic of searches and metal detectors at schools has been widely discussed in the week since Harvey’s death.


Indeed, on the same day as the alleged stabbing at All Saints, a 14-year-old girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was found guilty of attempted murder after attacking two teachers and another pupil at a school in South Wales last year.
A former children’s commissioner for England, Baroness Anne Longfield, told the Press Association that knife crime involving teenagers is a "national crisis that needs a national response” - but also said the answer goes further than knife arches and searches.
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Hide AdBaroness Longfield said: “I wouldn't like to see teachers in stab vests or bodycams or metal scanners.
"We can't turn our schools into fortresses or heighten feelings of school being a dangerous place.
"Knife crime instances inside schools do remain extremely rare."
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Knife crime campaigner and Chief of the Always An Alternative charity, Anthony Olaseinde, told The Star he had worked for week at All Saints to highlight the danger of knives.
He said: “... we have been having the same conversation about knives for six years, and we’ve been doing all we can with engagement with young people and taking knives off the streets.
“We don’t have a problem in the school community, but our school community is made up of other communities that have that problem.”
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Hide AdPepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), echoed this and called for stronger mental health provisions, and tackling the availability of knives through legislation.
He said: “Schools educate children about this issue, operate robust disciplinary codes, and where appropriate, conduct searches, and in some cases, use metal detectors.
"However, we cannot turn schools into fortresses and action is needed over the wider problems associated with challenging behaviour and knife crime.”
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A House of Commons report published in late January said, in the year to the end of June 20244, children aged 10 to 17 made up 18 per cent, or nearly one in five, of 19,903 possession of a knife or offensive weapon offences in England and Wales that resulted in a caution or conviction.
Sheffield Boxing Coach Ronny Tucker, who runs Aspire Boxing Club, on Chesterfield Road, said it is more important to “change the mindset” of young people.
He said: “What makes a young person think it’s OK to pick up a knife and stab someone else?
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Hide Ad“We have a lot of work to do to educate young people and change the mindset of those young people so they realise it’s not acceptable to carry knives.
“We need to look at what strategies schools and other organisations are using across Sheffield rather than things like knife arches and bins.”