A third teenager has been arrested in connection to the stabbing of a teenager at The Ridgeway last week (February 18).
The 17-year-old, from Welwyn Garden City, was arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and possession of drugs.
He has since been arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm and has been released on police bail.
This comes after the news that a 16-year-old boy from St Albans and a 15-year-old boy from London Colney were arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and have since been released on police bail.
Since the stabbing, St Albans chief inspector, Lynda Coates, has said police have increased patrols in the area.
She said: “I fully understand that Monday’s (February 18) incident will cause concern but I wanted to reassure the local community that our swift reaction led to the quick arrest of two people and a third person on Wednesday, and our inquiries are making good progress.
“As part of our wider response we have increased patrols in the local area and anyone with concerns should feel free to speak to officers.
“Elsewhere we are continuing to work with our partners, including schools and colleges, where we talk to young people about the dangers and consequences of carrying knives. I would like to take this opportunity to once again urge parents to speak to their children about knife crime and the potentially devastating consequences of carrying a knife.”
Katherine Harper, who works for Billy’s Wish, a charity that was set up following the tragic death of Billy Dove in 2012, has said “children killing children is a terrible reflection on us all” and that it needs to stop.
She said: “At Billy’s Wish we stress, to all ages, the importance of working together to make it socially unacceptable to carry a knife.
“Children killing children is a terrible reflection on us all and we need to work together to stop it. We need funding for youth activities, for social workers, family support workers to take away inequality and improve life chances.
“We need to ALL take responsibility for what happens in the community we live in, not expect ‘someone else’ to deal with it whilst we complain that ‘no one’ is doing anything. The Billy’s Wish Education programme starts with Year 6 children. We need to educate our children before they get involved.”
Any witnesses who have not yet spoken to police or anyone with information is asked to contact Hertfordshire Constabulary on the non-emergency number 101, quoting crime reference 41/16207/19.
More information about the incident at The Ridgeways can be found here, mynewsmag.co.uk/teenager-stabbed-in-st-albans/
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