In October 2021, 33-year-old Lee Turner was stabbed to death in a field in Pinehurst, and just over a year later, on December 4, 2022, 18-year-old Owen Dunn was killed in Haydon End. 

While these are the two most serious cases there have been dozens of stabbings and high-profile incidents involving a bladed weapon in Swindon over the last few years. 

Following their deaths, both Owen and Lee's family and friends have formed new organisations to help tackle what they feel is 'rising knife crime'.

And this is a sentiment shared by members of the public who feel there is a growing problem in Swindon, particularly among the town's youth, with the perception that the streets in their neighbourhoods are becoming less safe. 

But how big of a problem is it, and what is being done to combat it? We take an in-depth look at the state of knife crime in Swindon.

Owen's World

The killing of Owen Dunn is the most recent knife-crime tragedy in the town and it sent reverberations around the whole Swindon community. Here is a timeline of events since that moment. 

In an interview conducted shortly after Owen's funeral in February, Owen's aunty Lauren Page, his sister-in-law Eilish Skeates and his 'nanty' Trisha Aldred talked about the day of Owen's death, dealing with his loss going forward, and what needs to be done to save the lives of others.

They explained that they felt knife crime was a big problem in the town and they didn't feel that local authorities like Swindon Borough Council or Wiltshire Police were doing enough, and it was up to those most directly affected by the cruelty of knife crime to step instead which is why they set up anti-knife crime organisation 'Owen's World'. 

"You've only got to see... When we went to go and see the knife angel, how many knives there are," said Lauren, "That's just a drop in the ocean."

She added: "Too many cuts, too many government cuts, funding [cuts]...they've taken away everything from when I was a teenager, we had so much for the youth, now there's nothing, literally nothing."

You can watch the full interview here.

Change Lives No To Knives

Before Owen's death, there was another fatal stabbing. 33-year-old Lee Turner was killed during an altercation in a field known locally as The Venney, in Pinehurst, Swindon. 

A murder investigation and lengthy court process ensued as detailed in the following timeline, where a boy, who was 17 at the time of the stabbing, was found not guilty of murder and manslaughter and walked free from court, in a re-trial following an initial hung jury in 2022. 

In the wake of that decision which came in March 2023, Lee's family set up the organisation 'Change Lives No To Knives' to directly remove knives from the streets of Swindon in an attempt to prevent further tragedies. 

In an interview, his sisters Jordan Turner and Jackie Turner spoke about his loss and also added that they don't feel that there is enough being done to tackle knife crime in the area. 

"I think it's a major problem in Swindon, and it has been for years. And it's only recently that people are trying to now do something about knife crime when really it should have been done years ago," Jordan said. 

"But nobody understood the effect it had on the town, on the people, on the community. Nobody understood the effect. But knife crime has become a lot worse."

You can watch the full interview here.

Is there really a problem with knife crime in Swindon? 

It's clear that the families of both Owen Dunn and Lee Turner feel that there is a problem and more should be done to address it. 

And they're not alone - charitable organisation BEST - Be A Better You, which works directly with troubled youth in Swindon to steer them away from life crime by introducing them to sports, recently warned of an upcoming 'pandemic of child exploitation'. 

Operations manager Craig Hiscock said: “There are so many vulnerable families living on the breadline, and there’s a lack of support for them, so there will be hundreds of children susceptible to being groomed into criminal gangs."

Craig Hiscock, operations manager at BEST - Be A Better You, has warned of a coming 'pandemic of child exploitation' by criminal gangs because of the rising cost of living. pic.twitter.com/ZhlMY77GJ4

— Daniel Wood (@DanWood_Adver) May 23, 2023

And if you look at the number of times crime involving a knife has been reported in the Swindon Advertiser since August 2021, as detailed in the below interactive map, it is easy to see why members of the public might feel that there is a growing problem in the town. 

There are almost thirty cases highlighted, and those are just the ones that have made it into the news. 

What do the stats say?

But do the actual figures fall in line with the public perception of a growing problem?

We submitted Freedom of Information requests to Wiltshire Police for information on the number of serious and non-serious crimes involving a knife that had been reported in Swindon, and the number of people charged or summoned to court for committing knife crimes.  

We also asked for the ages of the victims and the ages of those caught. 

The figures show that crime involving knives is rising year-on-year since the pandemic, but it is only just starting to surpass pre-pandemic levels, with 176 serious knife crimes reported in 2021 and 196 in 2022. 

However, it also shows a small, but noticeable shift in the ages of both victims of knife crime, and those perpetrating it, suggesting that the town's young people are getting more and more involved. 

Recently released stats from the Office of National Statistics have also shown that knife crime is growing quickly in Wiltshire as a whole, with a rise of 14 per cent compared to the previous year.

You can see the full figures in the data presentation below. 

Police vow a crackdown

Following Owen Dunn's death, Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson pledged to do more to combat knife crime in Swindon. 

Wiltshire Police's new police chief, Catherine Roper also outlined violent crime as one of her major areas of focus for the county force going forward. 

Swindon Borough Council also discussed rising knife crime in Swindon during a full council meeting in January, with one councillor putting forward a motion to call for a plan of action in the town. 

Since then, Wiltshire Police has embarked on a crackdown on violent crime which began in May, and during the first week, officers arrested six people for weapons, drugs, and violence offences.

Superintendent Phil Staynings said: “It has been a positive first week of our proactive response to the recent rise in knife crime in Swindon, and it remains a Force priority to tackle violence and create safer public spaces for all.

“Several dangerous weapons have been taken off the streets, and dozens of bail conditions and closure orders checks have been undertaken to ensure that those that cause the greatest harm are robustly managed."

Is there hope for Swindon? 

Like the police, the Swindon community has sprung into action to combat the problem following the recent tragedies. 

Recent examples include a group of local charities, councillors and MP hopefuls who have formed a knife crime summit to discuss how to work together to fight back against rising incidents, a hairdresser offered free training to keep youths away from crime and a newly opened Caribbean restaurant is offering free meals in exchange for knives. 

While Swindon continues to comprehend the effects of knife crime, it's clear that the families of those lost, as well as the wider community affected by it, are determined to show that when you stab someone to death you may wound the whole town - but it will recover. 

If you've been affected by knife crime you can call Victim Support on Victim Supportline: 08 08 16 89 111 or visit the website victimsupport.org.uk.