Pupils warned: ‘Carry a knife, pay the price’

Published: 27th May, 2011
by PETER GRUNER

THE painting by Sarah Czech-Rahim shows a young girl with a knife sticking out of her chest. The words read:“Why did I carry a knife now I’m going to pay with my life.”

Sarah, who is  just 10 and a pupil from Ashmount school, Upper Holloway, is an example today that even the youngest in society are worried by knife crime. 

She was inspired to paint the picture after listening to a talk at the school by former EastEnders actress Brooke Kinsella, whose brother Ben was tragically stabbed to death in Islington in 2008, aged 16.

The painting is one of several being produced as part of a poster competition by the school,  warning of the dangers of carrying knives.

In a close competition, judges picked Sarah as overall winner of the  competition, with Ella White and Teresa Kit as runners-up.

The contest was organised by Islington Council as a follow-up to a safety event attended by school pupils and anti-knife crime campaigner Brooke. 

“I was really pleased to see another anti-crime event in Islington,” Brooke said. “In particular I was pleased to see that council officers have already been targeting the children in the last year of primary school, which I believe is the age group we need to educate, and I inclu­ded this in my report to the government earlier in the year.

“The feedback from the children involved shows how effective the event has been, and I hope Islington will be seen as a benchmark for other local authorities, because the education on knife crime which children need is so important in fighting knife crime in the long run.”

Councillor Barbara Sidnell, Islington Council’s executive member for community safety, said: “We’re determined to help make Islington a safer place for everyone.

“Getting the message across that knives are deadly weapons that can cause terrible tragedy is absolutely vital. I was very impressed with the amount of hard work and thought that all the pupils showed, and the excellent winning designs.”

Prizes for the poster contest were a Nintendo Wii for Sarah and two £10 HMV vouchers for the runners-up, donated by council contractor Eurovia Infrastructure Limited.