AN MP met with relatives of knife crime victims to discuss how the issue can be tackled.

Kim Leadbeater, Batley and Spen MP, held a roundtable gathering at her constituency office in Heckmondwike.

The event was attended by police officers, senior Kirklees Council staff, charities and education professionals.

There was a particular focus on working with schools, in light of the recent devastating stabbing of a schoolboy in Huddersfield.

Also in attendance were Elaine Wilson, whose husband Robert was stabbed to death by two teenagers outside his workplace, and Kelly Hubbard and Bryony Gledhill - the mother and sister of 20-year-old Bradley Gledhill who was also killed in an unprovoked attack.

All three provided powerful testimonies underlining the need to counteract the normalisation of carrying a knife, peer-on-peer violence, gang culture, the use of drugs and alcohol and the impact of social media. 

Mrs Leadbeater said: “Since being elected, it was important to me to host this gathering and to hear from key people about the work being done to tackle knife crime.

“Among the many outcomes was the willingness of the various agencies to work together and to work with young people to drive home the potentially life-changing consequences of carrying a knife.”