Last week, a 15-year-old was found guilty of murdering<\/a> Harvey after stabbing him twice in the chest<\/a> at All Saints Catholic High School on February 3. Harvey\u2019s<\/a> family have campaigned publicly against children carrying knives, calling for knife arches to be installed at schools across the UK and meeting with Home Secretary Yvette Cooper.<\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/b> Thug set homes on fire in targeted ‘mindless violence’ against Sheffield family<\/a><\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/b> Sheffield shooting police update after attempted burglary sparks ‘reckless criminality’<\/a><\/p>\n However, despite the family\u2019s efforts, Anthony feels authorities have missed an opportunity to make a real difference after issuing a five-word warning – “it’s going to happen again”.<\/p>\n \u201cThere has been a missed opportunity, and something like that is going to happen again,\u201d he said. \u201cIn Sheffield, people wanted to ignore it and act like it didn\u2019t happen, which, for me, is absolutely crazy. It\u2019s an extreme, and in moments of that extreme, you have people\u2019s attention. People are watching; therefore, you should act promptly to make sure that the extreme isn\u2019t used in vain.<\/p>\n \u201cThe schools and the authorities should not have acted like it didn\u2019t happen, but they should have embraced it and got the message out while they have people\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately, this is going to happen. Normally, when it happens, there\u2019s tension for two or three weeks, but as time goes by, it dies down. So that is your time to act. And even though we have got a guilty verdict, it\u2019s not going to get the attention it got when it first happened.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you don\u2019t change something, if you don\u2019t address an issue, it\u2019s going to happen again. Whether you like it or not, the more you try and hide from it, the more likely it is going to happen again. Most places have buried their heads in the sand. Why on earth would you want to take that chance again when adjustments could be made to try and prevent it?<\/p>\n Harvey Willgoose’s mum Caroline and dad Mark (Credit: BBC) -Credit:BBC<\/p>\n \u201cHarvey has lost his life<\/a>. His family are heartbroken. The attacker\u2019s family will be distraught. You\u2019ve got all the staff in the school and all the young people who saw the incident. We are talking about thousands of people who have been affected<\/a>. Why would you want to do that again?\u201d<\/p>\n Anthony said he feels more funding to deal with knife crime among young people, especially in Sheffield and South Yorkshire. BBC News reported there were more than 100 cases of children taking knives into schools in South Yorkshire between 2022 and 2024.<\/p>\n Home Office figures show that between 2014 and 2024, the number of recorded knife-related offences in South Yorkshire rose by more than a third, while boys aged between 10 and 17 accounted for 12% of all recorded offences last year.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope that the funding could be effective,\u201d Anthony said. \u201cKnife crime has had a lot of money chucked at it, and nothing has happened. More investment is needed for those frontline projects.<\/p>\n \u201cThe frontline workers like myself, we make the difference. We are there with young people. We are there putting our lives on the line, engaging with young people to make sure they get that support. All I can do is help the young people I can reach with limited funds. I can only reach what I can reach. I can\u2019t reach no more.\u201d<\/p>\n A spokesperson for South Yorkshire Police<\/a> said: \u201dTackling knife crime remains a priority for us and we are working hard alongside partner agencies to change attitudes towards violence and carrying weapons. Shortly before Harvey’s death, we launched our Knives Take Lives campaign to prevent and reduce knife crime in South Yorkshire.<\/p>\n “In the immediate aftermath of Harvey’s death, we tailored our campaign plan and operational activity to focus on encouraging healthy conversations between young people and those who live and work with them to dispel some myths which encourage some young people to carry knives.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone can play their part, and we have a number of helpful resources for parents and carers on the campaign website, here<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Steve Davies, CEO of St Clare Catholic Multi Academy Trust, said: \u201dHarvey\u2019s death was an unimaginable tragedy for all, and one that understandably gives rise to a number of questions from his family and others. Now that the trial has finished, a number of investigations aimed at addressing and answering these questions will be able to proceed. We will engage fully and openly with them to help ensure every angle is considered and no key questions are left unresolved.\u201d<\/p>\n South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard said: \u201dMy thoughts, as always, remain with his family \u2013 particularly Caroline and Mark, whose strength, courage and dignity has been remarkable. South Yorkshire stands with them. While it was an isolated incident, its impact has been widespread. Knife crime is a national issue, and we will continue to work alongside our partners to keep young people safe in our schools and communities.\u201d<\/p>\n What the council says<\/p>\n![\"Harvey](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/b517d79f2f3145302d425ad4b56910da.jpeg\"\/)
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