Over the previous month, Millie-Mae Adams has been representing Wales on the Miss World competitors in India. Nevertheless, past the pageant highlight, the 22-year-old medical pupil has used her platform to make clear a severe concern: youth knife crime.
Raised in Caerau, Cardiff, Adams was uncovered to gang-related violence from a younger age. Her private experiences formed her ardour for educating younger individuals on how to answer traumatic accidents, particularly these brought on by stabbings. After shifting away to pursue medical coaching on the College of Exeter, she started channeling this ardour into motion.
Adams launched a neighborhood department of StreetDoctors, a UK-based charity that empowers younger individuals with first support abilities and information on the right way to reply in emergencies involving road violence. The group operates in over 20 cities, together with Cardiff, and focuses on each the bodily and psychological influence of such incidents.
“Being younger at present is extremely difficult. Carrying a knife is now not seen as surprising—it’s turn out to be normalized,” Adams defined. She famous that her upbringing in a much less prosperous space of Cardiff made her all too accustomed to the presence of gang violence and its results on native youth.
Adams shared that strolling alone in her neighborhood typically left her feeling unsafe, emphasizing that knife crime will not be confined to main cities. “It’s naive to assume it gained’t occur in your individual group,” she stated.
Moderately than putting blame on younger individuals for the circumstances they face, Adams advocates for equipping them with life-saving abilities and information. “Each younger particular person ought to be empowered to reply successfully in the event that they discover themselves in a violent scenario,” she said.
Topped Miss Wales in 2023, Adams earned a spot within the 2025 Miss World competitors, the place she selected to highlight the work of StreetDoctors. Her advocacy earned her the highest spot in Europe for her presentation on youth knife crime, a notable achievement inside the contest.
As a part of their outreach, Adams and fellow StreetDoctors volunteers go to youth teams, such because the St Mellons youth membership in Cardiff, to show fundamental first support in emergencies. The periods embrace steering on the right way to cease bleeding safely and the significance of calling for emergency providers.
Youngsters who attended the periods expressed how helpful the coaching may very well be in real-life conditions. “We realized the right way to assist somebody who’s been stabbed and what actions to take to presumably save their life,” stated JJ, 14. One other participant, Luke, famous that whereas knife crime isn’t typically witnessed firsthand, it’s a frequent matter of dialogue.
The group additionally engages in digital actuality eventualities, serving to teenagers assume critically about de-escalating doubtlessly violent encounters. “Typically it begins with a easy argument, and we learn to stroll away earlier than it turns into one thing worse,” defined Harvey, 14.
What Ought to You Do If Somebody Has Been Stabbed?
In keeping with StreetDoctors, taking the next steps will help save lives:
Name 999 instantly – Ask for an ambulance and observe the directions offered. You don’t must share your identify.
Guarantee your security – Earlier than helping, be sure the realm is secure so that you can method.
Cease the bleeding – If no object is lodged within the wound, apply strain instantly utilizing a fabric or comparable merchandise. If an object is embedded, don’t take away it—apply strain round it to cut back bleeding.
Knife Crime in Wales and Past
Within the yr ending December 2024, Wales reported 50 knife-related crimes per 100,000 individuals. Gwent had the best price in Wales at 67 per 100,000. Compared, London recorded 188 and the West Midlands 156 per 100,000, in accordance with the Workplace for Nationwide Statistics.
Knowledge from the Youth Justice Board exhibits that simply over 3,200 knife or offensive weapon crimes had been dedicated by younger individuals aged 10–17 in England and Wales in the course of the yr ending March 2024. Whereas this marks a 20% enhance from a decade in the past, it’s additionally a 6% drop in comparison with the earlier yr, marking the sixth consecutive annual decline.
Adults stay considerably extra more likely to be concerned in knife crime, accounting for 83% of such offenses.
Following high-profile incidents, together with the tragic stabbings of two lecturers and a pupil in Ammanford, specialists have referred to as for a balanced perspective. Dr. Rhian Croke of the Youngsters’s Authorized Centre Wales emphasised the significance of avoiding the stigmatization of younger individuals.
“Most youngsters have by no means thought of carrying a knife,” Dr. Croke stated. “To stop knife crime, we should concentrate on addressing the foundation causes—poverty, social exclusion, and neglect—particularly in deprived communities.”
