MEET THE man who is walking London’s streets at night taking knives off young people to save their lives.

Faron Alex Paul, who survived two vicious stabbings in his late teens, said that his anti-knife mission is being made harder by the alarming rise in youths buying weapons on social media.

Teenagers are using social media platforms like Instagram, Tik Tok and Snapchat to purchase banned knives and other weapons disguised as everyday items. 

One New York-based Instagram account is advertising knives disguised as a torchlight and a comb. 

Mr Paul, a leading anti-knife campaigner, said social media was fuelling the deadly violent crime epidemic which is sweeping across the UK. 

He uses his own Instagram page to raise awareness about the devastating impact of knife crime and to also document his work getting weapons off the street.

Speaking to The Voice, he said social media “thrives on negativity” and is making it very easy for children to purchase and get access to knives, despite new reforms to legislation.

He said: “People are still selling weapons online, and they will keep on doing it, despite changes to the law.” 

Mr Paul from Tottenham, north London, revealed to The Voice, he was stabbed nine times on two separate occasions, in 2003 and 2006.  

The 35-year-old father says his personal experience is motivating him to collect weapons and hand them into police stations, but admitted it can be difficult because of a lack of resources and financial backing. 

He said: “Because of what I went through, and with the whole recovery, I just don’t want anyone else to go through that, so I am determined to do what I can, but there needs to be more support.”

Retailers who sell knives to under-18s can be prosecuted and in May 2019, the UK government made it illegal for online shops to send knives to addresses without checking the buyer was over 18.

Changes to existing legislation brought about by the Offensive Weapons Act 2019, meant that from 14 July 2021, all weapons banned in public by the Criminal Justice Act 1988, including zombie knives, shuriken or death stars, and knuckledusters, are now also be banned in private, meaning people can no longer keep them at home.

A new legal definition of flick knives, banned since 1959, has also taken effect, which means more of these weapons are now illegal. 

Mr Paul welcomes the new changes but said it won’t stop the banned weapons from circulating in communities or from being shared and re-sold to a new generation. 

He said: “The new legislation has come in, but it doesn’t stop the knives from being in the community in the first place.

“For decades people have been able to get hold of these weapons and they are still out there, they are only taken off the streets when they are surrendered or people are arrested with them.”

Mr Paul created his FazAmnesty organisation five years ago, to deter youngsters from getting involved in violent crime, and said he is still collecting some knives – which are now banned in the UK under the new reforms.

“Some of the knives I am collecting and handing in to police stations are axes, Rambo and zombie knives and kitchen knives, I’ve seen every sort,” he added. 

He says more action is needed from the government, police, schools, parents and community leaders – as he is inundated with messages every day from young people desperate for help. 

He added: “I’ve been doing this for five years and every day I get messages for collections and every day I get messages of stab stories, people who have been hurt or people who are scared.

“I don’t get enough support from the government and I don’t get none from the police.”

Mr Paul told The Voice, he is doing what he can but it can be difficult and “jarring” as the cycle of violence keeps on repeating itself. 

Despite his brave efforts and large social media following, Mr Paul is unsure of how long he will be able to operate his anti-knife crime platform and organisation, on just motivation alone.

“I’m still spending my own money on this and it is affecting my ability to have financial freedom and people like me need support,” he added. 

In London so far this year, 27 teenagers have died as a result of knife crime.

The grim statistic equals the number of teenagers who died in 2017 – which was the highest number of knife-related deaths in nearly a decade.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan believes the only way to tackle knife crime is with a robust approach from all sectors of society. 

Speaking to The Voice, he said he is concerned about the number of young black men in London who are getting “sucked into criminal gangs” and said what is happening on the streets is a reflection of “the impact of systemic and structural racism.” 

The mayor added: “The number of teenage children in our city who are being killed is going up and even though there are fewer stabbings and the number of people going to hospital is less, the ferocity of those stabbings means more people lose their lives and almost seven out of ten of the victims are young black boys. 

“It is so important we do much more in relation to suppressing the violence of course, but much more in relation to dealing with the complex causes of violence.

“We know poverty, inequality, high unemployment, family breakdown, domestic violence, school exclusions, poor mental health, lack of youth services, racism, drugs and the negative use of social media all fuel this complex landscape and we have to do much more.”

The Mayor set up London’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) – the first in England – to deliver programmes that support young Londoners through education, training and help finding employment.

He said he plans to support young black boys and men in finding meaningful work and sustainable careers through his Workforce Integration Network (WIN), but urged the government to do more also. 

The Metropolitan Police told The Voice, tackling knife crime is their top priority and they are regularly conducting weapons sweeps across the capital as a way to take dangerous weapons off the streets. 

In a statement released to The Voice, a Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “Each and every single homicide is a complete tragedy and greatly concerning. Knife crime completely destroys victims, families and communities, which is why tackling it is our top priority.

“Officers are working relentlessly every single day, doing everything they can to target those intent on committing violent crime on our streets, to make London safer. 

“Officers across the Met recently took part in Operation Sceptre, designed to ramp up activity to suppress knife crime and wider violence. This resulted in more than 900 arrests made and 290 knives seized. We will not stop.

“Suppressing violence needs a holistic approach to deliver long-lasting solutions. We must all work together – the responsibility lies with us all to create safe communities.”