THE leader of BCP Council says the death of 18-year-old Cameron Hamilton will not be in vain and that the council supports and welcomes a 20ft knife angel sculpture.

Cameron's family have fought to bring the Knife Angel to Bournemouth after he was pronounced dead at the scene following an alleged knife attack in the town centre.

Tracy Jose, Cameron’s grandmother, has organised for the sculpture to come to the town in hopes of educating and raising awareness around knife crime.

Bournemouth Echo: Cameron Hamilton and his grandmother, Tracy Jose

Tracy and Cameron's family have backed the Daily Echo's No More Knives campaign, which aims to bring the community together to provoke change. 

Leader of BCP Council, Vikki Slade, said she welcomes the Knife Angel’s visit and is working closely with Cameron’s family to ‘make the most of this opportunity’.

Cameron died after being stabbed in Bournemouth town centre in the early hours of Saturday, August 5.

“When she [Tracy] wrote to me, I was so moved by their story of what had happened to them,” said Cllr Vikki Slade.

“I went and met her, and it was a really good meeting, she’s such an inspiring lady.”

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The 20ft angel, which tours the UK, is made from blunted knives that have been seized from the streets.

As part of the Knife Angel’s visit, the hosting location is required to conduct 30 days of educational workshops.

Cllr Slade said: “It's about working with the police, working with public health, working with schools, youth clubs, everybody to say, how do we take a public health approach to this?

“How do we make sure that we keep young people safe, how do we find a way for parents to learn the symptoms of a young person that might be involved in this sort of thing? That's what this is about.”

Bournemouth Echo:

A specific date has not yet been set for the Knife Angel’s arrival, but it will be visiting the town in February, which Cllr Slade said was important for the family.

“I know that Cameron's grandmother is very comfortable with it being in February because that's when it's all about the residents, it's not about the tourists.

“It's about making sure that we keep our people safe, and in February it's likely to be local people that are seeing it.”

A precise location is also yet to be confirmed but it is certain that the statue will be ‘very visible’ in the centre of Bournemouth.

Cllr Slade said the council is keen to ensure ‘whatever lessons could be learned are learned’ from the incident that led to Cameron's death.

Thomas Betteridge, 18, of Albert Road, Southsea, has been charged with murder and Lennie Hansen, 18, of Partridge Gardens, Waterlooville, has been charged with assisting an offender and possession of a bladed article.

The pair are expected to go on trial in January 2024.