Dozens of knives and weapons have been surrendered at St George’s Hospital (Image: St George’s Hospital)
A young man has described the terrifying moment he was stabbed with a 15-inch “Rambo” knife, as a major warns such deadly incidents have almost doubled in two years.
St George’s Hospital in Tooting, south , is the first in the UK to launch a amnesty scheme that has seen scores of weapons including zombie knives, machetes and knuckledusters surrendered anonymously.
The patient in his 20s, who did not want to be named, received emergency treatment at the hospital for internal bleeding from a kidney injury.
He said: “I didn’t even know I’d been stabbed at first. I felt a sharp pain, then it was hard to breathe and I could feel a wetness — that’s when I looked down and saw the knife sticking out of me.
“I was losing blood and was trying to get away from there. People were standing around filming on their phones.
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“Coming into hospital is a blur. I had an operation that saved my life, but it’s not just the wounds that need to heal. I’m still trying to process what happened and deal with the trauma.”
Some 511 people were treated in A&E at St George’s for injuries from knives or sharp instruments last year, up from 267 in 2022.
Cleo Kenington, a consultant in emergency general surgery and major trauma, said some victims tragically died before they could receive medical help.
She added: “I’ve had to physically remove knives from patients on the operating table to stop them bleeding to death. It can take many teams of surgeons working on them, especially when the knife pierces multiple organs such as the heart and the guts.
“These patients are young, vulnerable and scared. They have their whole lives ahead of them and they often say ‘I don’t want to die’.”
The hospital is working with Wandsworth Council and Wandsworth Community Safety Partnership to tackle knife crime. The amnesty bin, provided by knife crime charity Word 4 Weapons, was recently opened to reveal a cache of 87 weapons.
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Sandra Campbell, chief executive of Words 4 Weapons, said: “These images may shock people but they are even more terrifying up close, and have the potential to end someone’s life or cause serious damage if they were still on the streets.”
Bins will also be installed at St Helier Hospital and Epsom Hospital following the scheme’s success. Anyone carrying a knife is urged to dispose of it after wrapping it in several layers of cardboard or paper and securing it with sticky tape to cover the blade.
Minister for Policing, Fire and Crime Prevention, Dame Diana Johnson, said: “Tackling violence and making our streets safer is at the heart of this Government’s Plan for Change and we cannot do this alone.
“I’ve seen first-hand how hospitals like St George’s can help – they are so often at the centre of tragic incidences of knife crime.
“Last month, we announced £9.4 million of funding for the London Violence Reduction Unit which will enable them to continue funding youth workers in major trauma centres across London to help young people impacted by knife crime.”