Community in shock after boy's fatal stabbing
BBCPeople living in Peterborough where a 16-year-old boy was fatally stabbed say they remain in shock and that his death has had a massive impact.
A 15-year-old boy and an 18-year-old man have been arrested on suspicion of murder, following the incident in Riseholme, near the Ortongate Shopping Centre, on Sunday evening.
The teenager who died has been named locally as Baye Bireme.
Ghuilermina, who lives in the area and knew the teenager, lay flowers outside the centre. She said: "This is really shocking, he was such a sweet boy."
She said he was a friend of her son, who had stayed at her home, and she could not understand why it had happened.
"This is sad, very, very sad."
Emma, who grew up in the area, said she knew the victim "in passing" and said "it's not fair as he was a good lad".
"You can feel it in the atmosphere," she commented.
"It feels so weird, it's eerie, it's quiet, it has had a massive impact on the community."
She said she wanted to see more initiatives to tackle knife crime, including more knife amnesty bins - such as the ones placed outside Thorpe Wood Police Station in recent years.
Emma also highlighted a lack of youth clubs, although the government has announced plans to build or refurbish 250 youth centres in England.
Kirsty Knight, an independent Peterborough city councillor for Orton Waterville, said: "It's really sad. His family are still in shock and so is the community."
She praised the community for coming together when St John's Church School in Riseholme was shut on Monday and roads were closed.
"Everyone worked together and that's what communities are for."
A 16-year-old girl from March, Cambridgeshire, has also been charged with possessing a knife/bladed article in a public place and is due to appear at Huntingdon Magistrates' Court on 13 May.
She and a 17-year-old girl were further arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, and they remain on conditional bail for that offence.
A business owner, from the Orton centre, who did not want to be named, commented: "Five lives are now destroyed and obviously one of them has lost his; tragic."
David Lloyd, who also works at the Orton centre, said: "I feel sorry for the parents.
"Knife crime is a massive problem in the UK, nationwide, and it's something the government needs to look at.
"There needs to be stop and searches. It needs to stop."
Paul, who has lived in the area for 56 years, said it was a "sad moment" and it was the first knife crime incident in the area he was aware of.
"We need to let the police do their work."
Detectives believe the victim was targeted, although they say they do not think it was racially motivated.
In a statement to the Commons on Tuesday, Policing Minister Sarah Jones pledged to do more on knife crime.
She said knife crime reports were down 8% and knife homicides down 27% since the start of this Parliament (July 2024) but acknowledged it was "not enough".
"Knife crime is destructive and devastating, and it has for too long been plaguing communities and destroying lives," she said.
"The task of putting that right falls to this government."
Do you have a story suggestion for Peterborough? Contact us below.
Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
