Mum of murdered teen Harvey Willgoose speaks out as mayor unveils knife crime plan
“It starts with education in schools at a young age”
A new three-year plan to prevent knife crime in South Yorkshire has been backed by mum of murdered schoolboy Harvey Willgoose.
Mum Caroline joined South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard at Bramall Lane on Tuesday, November 10, to introduce the new ‘Preventing Knife Crime Approach 2026-2029’.
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The scheme is set to see South Yorkshire police work alongside local authorities, school and health services to provide better education on the realities and dangers of knife crime.
“I think it’s really good, this is what I’ve been saying all along,” Caroline said.
“It starts with education in schools at a young age and get it through to them how horrible it is, life in prison.
“And obviously the pure devastation of what losing Harvey’s brought.”
Caroline’s son Harvey was stabbed to death at All Saint’s Catholic High School on February 3 last year, when he was just 15 years old.
The teen was a lifelong Blades fan, and while at the Sheffield United home ground Caroline said her son would be “loving it” if he knew the impact he is having on his club.
“Harvey had his most happy times here,” she added.
“He loved it, it was his life.”
She hopes to continue working with Mayor Coppard as the scheme continues and in her own time will continue working with youth groups to speak to children about the devastating impact knife crime has.
Meanwhile she also hopes to see knife arches introduced in education facilities, but says that schools “shy away” from these measures because it makes it “look like they’ve got a problem with knife crime”.
She said: “They shy away from having me in their school.
“I was supposed to go on a tour and no schools came forward, just Penistone [Grammar School].
“I’ve been doing alternative provision talks to youth clubs and things like that, but get me into school which is what I’ve been saying from the beginning and get knife arches in there.
“We’ve got to start somewhere.”
Mayor Coppard says that this new strategy will put the victims of knife crime “at the heart” of their approach, describing Caroline and her husband Mark as a “tribute to Harvey’s life”.
“We’re working today with educational institutions, schools, teachers and our whole community to make sure that strategy lands in the way we need it to and so we can absolutely make sure every young person in South Yorkshire has the future, the safety and the security they deserve,” the mayor added.
He said that the problems he’s hoping to tackle “aren’t unique to South Yorkshire” but that this new approach will be tailored to best serve local communities.
It is also hoped that an effective use of intelligence will allow police to effectively respond where necessary.
And while his office cannot change punishment through courts or imprisonment, the focus is dealing with the problems that leave people feeling they need to carry knives in the first place.
“We talk to the Ministry of Justice and the Government all the time, certainly about the early release scheme and how that’s impacted South Yorkshire and what we can do to mitigate that,” he continued.
“But ultimately this is about prevention. This is about stopping people from using a knife, carrying a knife, being a victim of knife crime.
“That what our approach looks like here in South Yorkshire and that’s the right approach.”