A MOTHER whose son was killed in a knife attack has praised the police for encouraging people to hand in their weapons - saying “a knife off the street is a potential life saved”.

Theresa Cave’s son, Chris, was stabbed to death in Redcar in 2003, and since then, she has fought tirelessly alongside her other son Tom against gun and knife crime.

The Northern Echo:

Theresa Cave, from Redcar. Pictured in 2012 holding a photograph of her son Chris Cave, who was stabbed to death in 2003

She was speaking at the conclusion of a recent knife amnesty carried out by Cleveland Police, which saw 172 weapons handed in to the force in the first week of May.

87 weapons were surrendered in Redcar, whilst there was 47 in Hartlepool, 27 in Stockton and 11 in Middlesbrough.

The weapons handed in, which were on display at Cleveland Police headquarters yesterday, included kitchen knives, axes, machetes and swords.

The latest initiative follows last year’s successful campaign ,where 106 knives and sharp objects were surrendered.

Speaking to The Northern Echo, Ms Cave said: “I am over the moon that Cleveland Police are getting involved and working with the foundation to tackle knife crime.

“It is impossible to stop people getting knifes – it is about education and making them understand the effects of knife crime.”

The Chris Cave Foundation aims to raise money for projects around the country in efforts to help ‘kill violence on the streets’ and offers support, comfort and advice to those who have lost a loved one.

“The foundation is going well – we have seen about 1,800 children in Cleveland in the last three months.

“Obviously we would rather not be doing this, but every school who show an interest in receiving our help will be accepted.

“It is free, and we encourage anyone to get in touch,” she added.

Cleveland Police said 381 people were injured from knives or sharp objects in 2016, whilst there were eight attempted murders, 39 threats to kill and 96 robberies.

Sgt Stephen Clyburn said: “If you are in possession of a knife, you could use it in a conflict, even if you did not have the intention of using it.

“As soon as a knife is used, the injuries could become fatal, and you could end up arriving without any intention, and serving a life term in prison.”