Idris Elba on the power of football – and how it can help tackle knife crime
Idris Elba hopes providing more access to football in communities will deter youngsters from knife crime and he urged other industries to follow the Premier League’s lead.
The actor dropped in on a session run by the West Ham Foundation – part of the league’s Kicks programme supporting youngsters at risk of anti-social behaviour and youth violence by providing free weekly football.
While it could offer pathways in the sport – including coaching the next generation – Elba sees how it provides the toolset for personal development in life more broadly.
“Football has an amazing aggregated power,” Elba told Sky News. “I think that is a really good sort of example for other industries to think about mentorship programmes.
“Apprenticeship programmes that can just give young people (opportunities) because not every kid wants to play football.
“But at least we’re seeing the Premier League do something. The big tech companies, motor industry companies should say, ‘Hey, what can we do with the young people? What are their interests?'”
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The Premier League has invested more than £90m in the Kicks programme across two decades with a particular focus on reducing violent behaviour.
The need for such a scheme was reinforced by the fatal stabbings of 10 teenagers in London last year being followed by a 14-year-old’s killing in the first week of 2025.
Elba speaking about the Premier League’s work to tackle knife crime
It is a year since Elba launched his own campaign, Don’t Stop Your Future, to call for greater urgency in addressing the knife crime crisis.
“Where there are young people aggregating around football, around teams, should we be messaging that knife crime is no good? Absolutely. Yes,” Elba said. “We should be messaging that wherever you can.
“Just listen to a young person once. If you’ve never asked them what their feelings are about knife crime, about what they want to do with their lives, do it. That’s one thing… The answer is up to you, but ultimately, you’re beginning the conversation.”
It was a conversation Elba had earlier this week in Dagenham with young players and coaches alongside a roundtable with community leaders impacted by knife crime.
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From September 2024: ‘Talk is good, action is more important’
“I absolutely feel that the more we talk, we can do about this, the better,” Elba said.
“Are there mechanisms where football can play a part in a larger scale? Absolutely. Let’s hope that we can all put our thinking caps on.”
That is working – as the Premier League does – with police to confront the knife crime epidemic.
“It feels probably to many that not enough is being done,” Met Police Commander Stephen Clayman, the national policing lead for knife crime, told Sky News pitchside at the Kicks programme.
“But actually, you see things like this. You only need to change the direction of a number of people. You’ve already made a huge difference.
“What you need is more of this, more investment in youth services, in these types of things, and then you start making the difference.”
Met Commander Stephen Clayman
But can football really make communities safer by providing access to football? Or is it for authorities to search for more impactful interventions – by increasing the number of officers on the beat?
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“Having more cops can make a difference in some areas for enforcement, but it’s not just about enforcement,” Commander Clayman said.
“You’re only going to really tackle this if you get to the root cause of why someone feels they have to pick up a knife in the first place.
“That’s not going to be the police solving that. That’s going to be people with some of the sort of coaches and mentors here that will do that and all the other services around. That’s what will make the real difference over time. It’s never going to be a quick fix.”
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From January: Britain’s knife crime epidemic
But football is trying to help in any way it can to prevent the tragedies that trouble West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen.
“Things like this really help people get off the streets and really do something with their life and make a real powerful change – I think it’s such a really important thing,” he said in an interview.
“It teaches them good habits and it teaches them a lot of different things as well. They spoke about the mental side of football and the technical side also.
“I think it also teaches about social skills. You have to play as a team, people making friendships here as well. So, I think it’s a really powerful positive thing.”
Police have announced a £20,000 reward in the hunt for the killers of a man in north London in March.
Mahad Abdi Mohamed, 27, died after being shot in the head in Waverley Road, Tottenham at 8.45pm on 20 March, the Metropolitan Police said.
The Met, which announced the reward from the independent charity Crimestoppers, said officers believed the shooting was a case of mistaken identity.
Police now want to speak to two people in connection with the incident.
DCI Rebecca Woodsford, who is leading the investigation, said: “There is someone out there who knows what happened that night, and we are urging those individuals to find it in their heart to come forward. It could be exactly what we need to locate those responsible.”
Images of the two people police would like to speak to. Pics: Metropolitan Police
A targeted attack
Police believe the suspects, who got out of a stolen Mitsubishi Outlander, which was later recovered burned out, were taking part in a targeted attack.
On the night of the murder, Mahad had spent the early evening with his friend at their home.
They were breaking their fast outside when the Mitsubishi Outlander approached and the suspects opened fire, striking Mahad and his friend multiple times.
Mahad’s 26-year-old friend received treatment for a gunshot wound to his leg.
The force suspects another stolen vehicle, a blue Jaguar, was used to transport the suspects to and from the Mitsubishi.
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The stolen cars from the night. Pics: Metropolitan Police
Police arrested four adult men in March and April on suspicion of murder, who were subsequently bailed.
The investigation so far has led officers to believe whoever killed Mahad set out to hurt someone else in a pre-planned, targeted attack.
Appealing to the public for information, Mahad’s youngest sister said: “To stay silent is to be complicit. To stay silent is to let a grieving mother suffer in confusion. To stay silent is to let a little boy grow up not knowing what happened to his father.”
Pic: Metropolitan Police
The reward, which is offered for information that leads to the identification, arrest and prosecution of those responsible, is available for three months and is due to expire on 20 March 2026.
Ferry passengers getting home for Christmas from Dover face delays of up to one hour after French border controls were hit by IT issues.
The border began experiencing technology issues before peak traffic arrival on Saturday morning.
Port of Dover Travel said in a post on X, at 9.21am, that there were still ongoing issues which were resulting in delays. It later confirmed delays were still ongoing at 12.02pm.
The organisation, which has not since issued an update, also urged passengers not to arrive more than two hours before their ferry leaves.
The Port of Dover estimates nearly 30,000 cars will board for outward journeys during the festive period, with traffic peaking between 6am and 1pm from Friday to Sunday.
It is forecast to be the busiest Christmas period on record for Dover crossings. Pic: Getty
It is also forecast to be the busiest year on record for the Christmas getaway in the UK.
P&O Ferries, which operates some of the ships from the port, said there are large queues on the approach roads and in the buffer area.
But once through passengers will face a smooth journey with no check-in delays, it added.
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The Port of Dover added in the post: “We also ask that all port-bound traffic remain on the main roads to the port, the A20 and A2, and keep the local roads clear for the community.
“If customers do miss their scheduled sailing due to the wait times, their ferry operator will place them on the next available crossing.”
Simon Jones, an AA expert patrol, said: “It’s beginning to look a lot like traffic. Our advice is simple: plan ahead, check your route and allow extra time. Patience will be your best present this year.”
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