Patrick Green, CEO at the Ben Kinsella Trust [https://benkinsella.org.uk/]

THE arrest of a 15-year-old boy following a stabbing in Archway has sparked calls for more to be done to tackle knife crime.

The teenager, who has not been named, allegedly attacked a 22-year-old man on Saturday in Sunnyside Road, leaving him with life-changing injuries.

The incident occurred just one day before an event at the Arsenal Stadium remembering Ben Kinsella, a teenager who was fatally stabbed in 2008, on his birthday.

Patrick Green, CEO at the Ben Kinsella Trust which was set up in his honour, said that the challenge with knife crime is that it “never really goes away”.

He told the Tribune: “Our heart goes out to this young person and their family as we reflect on Ben’s birthday.

“It shows us that we need to continue every effort to drive knife crime down.”

The trust has run workshops in schools for over a decade and there is an exhibition space which shows the damage that carrying a knife has on families and communities.

Mr Green said: “It shows the enormous decision that it is to carry a knife, and the enormous impact that it will have on you and those around you, the pain, suffering, and heartbreak.

“It changes their attitudes and their behaviour because they’ve often never associated carrying a knife with anything other than protection.”

The charity reached out to 4,000 children in Islington last year, but Mr Green said that it was “just a drop in the ocean compared to the size of the problem”.

He added: “Over the summer and last year, the trend has been going down. We have been seeing positive work being done and a reduction in knife carrying and knife offences, but with knife crime, there’s no single solution.”

The Ben Kinsella Trust has advocated for a series of early interventions, preventions, and enforcements in their effort to lower knife crime.

It was reported this week that Ben’s killers are close to being released from prison, 17 years after the murder.

The trust did not wish to comment on the reports, but the Tribune put to Mr Green the common experience shared by many families of victims of knife crime, where they feel that sentences are not long enough.

Mr Green said: “You have to have sentences that fit the crime for people to have confidence in the criminal justice system and to give justice for the families being left behind.

“But just simply increasing sentences without early intervention is not truly effective. We need to stop everybody carrying knives.

“We have to tackle the root causes of knife crime, as well as have strong laws, the two work hand-in-hand.”

The Metropolitan Police said of the incident on Saturday: “Officers attended the scene and made enquiries. No injured party was located.

“Police were then called by medical staff after a 22-year-old man self-presented at hospital with stab wounds. His injuries are being treated as life-changing but not life-threatening.”

They added: “A 15-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and remains in custody.

“We understand the concern this has caused the local community and residents can expect to see an increased police presence in the area.”