Anonymous disposal helping reduce knife crime.
A Southside barber is playing his part to help reduce national knife crime by joining UK-wide initiative, Barbers Against Blades.
Jonny Cox from Clip Around The Ears, based at Tandis Hair and Beauty on Smallbrook Queensway, is the first city centre barber to get on board with the campaign, which sees amnesty boxes placed into barbershops, giving young people a place to safely and anonymously deposit a weapon.
As well as providing a safe drop-off centre, #FadeTheBlade draws on the intimate setting that a barbershop provides – a place where clients talk openly about issues affecting them, giving the barbers involved a chance to advise and assist.
Barbers Against Blades started recruiting shops in September, and hopes that Jonny’s involvement will lead the way for other Brummie barbers to get involved with a potentially life-saving scheme.
Barbers who join the scheme have also committed to donating the cost of one haircut a month, along with raising awareness within their salons. They will also wear t-shirts, display stickers and anonymously dispose of any knives that are handed in to the police.
Since the initiative was launched by West Country barber David White in the autumn, ten blades have already been passed on to the police across the country.
Jonny Cox, who is leading the campaign in Birmingham, said: “When we heard about the idea, we wanted to get involved straight away. In our job, we’re often privy to more information than a young person would tell their parents, their teachers and sometimes even their friends. We have a unique platform, and Barbers Against Blades is a great way for us to help tackle a nationwide issue.”
Julia Robinson, manager at Southside BID, said: “It’s great to see our businesses getting involved with campaigns that can really make a difference to Birmingham and the UK as a whole. We hope that more barbers across the city follow Jonny’s lead and join this life-saving project.”
David White, founder of Barbers Against Blades, said: “I want the streets to be a safer place than they are for my children and everybody else’s children. If everybody does a little bit then a lot gets done. That’s not much to ask. We want to thank Jonny and Tandis Hair and Beauty for getting involved, and we hope many others join in as soon as possible.”
For more information on Barbers Against Blades visit www.barbersagainstblades.co.uk and to keep up to date with everything in Southside visit www.enjoysouthside.co.uk. To see Jonny’s progress with the campaign visit www.cliparoundtheears.com and follow @barber_jonny_c on Instagram.