The Newham basketball club working to tackle knife crime

The Newham All Star Sports Academy (NASSA) held the contest in honour of their 15 years working with the Metropolitan Police to tackle knife crime. 

The group has evolved since 2005 from a mother taking her children to a park in Newham to play basketball, to a community group helping teach young people about the dangers of knives.

At the match, a basketball hoop was shot for every young person lost as a direct result of knife crime in Newham over the previous year. Eight years ago, no hoops were shot - this time, there were six.

Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz, DCS Simon Crick and Natasha Hart. (Image: IlyasAyub Photography)

The event also shed light on the Carry a Basketball Not a Blade campaign started by one of NASSA's own, Anthony Okereafor.

Anthony was just 14-years-old when he saw his friend stabbed to death in an east London park. He lost a second friend to knife crime just weeks later. 

His pain gave way to the campaign started in 2008 with the help of NASSA's founder Natasha Hart. 

Anthony said: "Basketball is kind of the one thing that kept me safe, kept me sane, and gave me direction. So I just incorporated two things which is basketball and a bit of safety, and what I wanted people to avoid.

Anthony was just fourteen when he first experienced a loss by knife crime. Since then, he has continued to campaign with NASSA to prevent the loss of more young lives in the community. (Image: Olivia Carter)

"That’s how Carry A Basketball Not A Blade was created."

The campaign is estimated to have reached 4,000 people in Newham last year, bringing young people away from the streets and potentially knives. 

The group provides mentoring for all of its members, where they interact and hear from people who have real life experiences of the issues associated with knife crime.

Anthony explained: "It doesn’t come from a book, it doesn’t come from someone that’s never experienced something that writes a thesis.

"These are real people who have experienced real things who have unfortunately gone through some nasty things and they want to help their community thrive and change too."

Labour's London Assembly spokesperson on policing and crime, Unmesh Desai, expressed his full support for NASSA and its continued partnership with the Metropolitan Police.

Mr Desai, who represents Newham as part of his City and East constituency, hailed the "consistency" of their work.

He said: "They don’t just appear, here today gone tomorrow, their sporting work is week-in-week-out. That’s what I think is so good about NASSA, it’s the grassroots work that they do.

"It’s a mixture of the police doing their enforcement work but also in terms of working in partnerships, the preventative work which is where NASSA come in with education, reassurance and networking offering life skills."

The match played between NASSA and the Met Police was attended by Newham's mayor, Rokhsana Fiaz OBE, who gave a speech commending the work of both NASSA and the Met.

Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz was also in attendance and commended the group for their work. (Image: Olivia Carter)

Anthony expressed his support for the partnership, saying: "I think the Met get a lot of stick for a lot of things. The only thing that I can say is that the police that are a part of our community are human beings.

"When they take off their uniforms, they’ve got children, they’ve got daughters, they've got pets, they’ve got hobbies, they’ve got likes that they want to partake in the same as every other private citizen.

"The difference is that they took on an oath to protect and uphold the law. Now, when we have young people that grow up with a natural hatred towards police, we have to ask where does it come from.

"How do we break down those barriers? And that’s why a game against the Metropolitan Police helps start that with some of the younger people because those are their local police officers."

Ch Supt for Newham and Waltham Forest, Simon Crick, was one of the players on the Met's team and spoke with Newsquest London after the match. 

He said: "I think it’s fabulous what they (NASSA) do, I really love the work that Natasha does in terms of diverting young people away from knife crime and you’ll know how we’re blighted by knife crime in Newham."

NASSA founder and chief executive Natasha Hart (left) with DCS Simon Crick (right) (Image: Olivia Carter)

He agreed with Anthony that he thinks the police uniform "can be the barrier".

"People don’t see police officers as human beings sometimes and I think doing something like this where we are running around on a court with young lads, I think anything that we can do like that builds that relationship."

The club welcomes young people from all walks of life, those who have experienced knife crime and those who haven't, those from disadvantaged or troubled backgrounds, or those who simply want to play the sport. 

The group runs sessions in two-hour slots six days of the week, with some days holding multiple sessions back to back. 

Mr Desai is keen for more groups like NASSA to help lead the initiative to reach a safer London. 

He said: "The message is one of hope, not of fear and insecurity.

"Anything that brings the police and community together – we cannot police our way out of such problems… we need the community and the community needs us. 

Everyone in attendance was invited down onto the court to hear the speeches made and share a one minutes' silence in memory of those lost to knife crime. (Image: IlyasAyub Photography)

"People carry these (knives) with the intention to maim and to hurt and to cause seriously bodily harm and to kill."

Anthony told young people to stop carrying knives.

"Let's see how that changes your life, so then you don’t have to be a victim or you don’t have to be a perpetrator.

"When you see a group of guys that you don’t recognise and you feel that it’s trouble, cross the road, turn around, you know, live another day."