Mum shares story of son's fatal stabbing in Luton as part of Bedfordshire Police anti-knife campaign

A mum has told the story of how her teenage son was stabbed to death as part of a major new knife crime campaign.

Roseann Taylor’s son Azaan ‘AJ’ Kaleem died in 2018 in Luton when he was just 18 years old. Now AJ and Roseann’s story is being told in a short film for Bedfordshire Violence and Exploitation Reduction Unit (VERU) new Just Drop It campaign to highlight the ripple effect that knife crime can have on families and communities, and deter young people from carrying or using a blade.

The film has been released to coincide with the beginning of Operation Sceptre - a national week of action to tackle knife crime starting today (November 13).

Roseann said: “I don’t want any family to ever suffer the loss and pain me and everyone else close to AJ have had to endure due to reckless violence.

“Recent tragic events in Luton show just how important it is that we keep pushing this message and I am determined to use AJ’s story as a force for good. We all have a responsibility when it comes to tackling knife crime so I would urge everyone reading this to get involved and play their part in making a positive change in our communities.”

The film, produced by TMG Creative, will premiere at a screening at Youthscape in Luton on Wednesday (November 15) at 7pm. Further screenings are set to take place across the county over the coming weeks. There will be a Facebook Live webinar on Thursday evening, where people will be able to watch the film and ask questions.

Bedfordshire Police Chief Constable Trevor Rodenhurst said: “The devastating impact of knife crime has been felt all too recently here in Bedfordshire. This powerful new film and campaign is a massive boost for our efforts to deter young people from carrying knives and encourage them to make positive choices.

“Bedfordshire Police is firmly behind this campaign and we’ll keep working alongside the VERU and other partners to do everything we can to keep young people in our county safe.”