'It's really sad and each time a family is left devastated'

Damon Wilkinson investigates the increasing desperation over the scourge of knife crime in Greater Manchester

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IBRAHEEM Ali was a 'loving, caring and kind young man! His mum described the 19-year-old as the 'kind of son I wish all mothers to have? But on January 22 Ibraheem was stabbed to death on Stockport Road in Levenshulme, becoming yet another victim of knife crime in Greater Manchester.

Figures released by Greater Manchester police show that from November to January a staggering 898 knife crimes were reported in our region.

That includes three homicides, 12 rapes and 287 robberies where a blade was used.

Since the beginning of the year, the Manchester Evening News has reported on 17 serious stabbing incidents. They include a 14-year-old girl stabbed with a broken bottle in a school, a 62-year knifed in a supermarket car park and a 19-year-old stabbed in the chest in a park.

In the latest incident a man was attacked with what witnesses described as a machete outside an Asda in Chadderton on Friday night.

Tommy McDonagh, who runs Collyhurst and Moston Amateur Boxing Club, described knife crime as a 'pandemic! "And as far as I'm concerned it's just getting worse," he said.

"You have kids that have jobs, kids that are in college carrying knives.

And what's really concerning for me is you hear about the murders and the serious stuff, but there's loads more stabbings and robberies that you don't hear about, that don't even get reported.

Tommy says social media means fights and arguments that might once have fizzled out are now amplified and made public.

"When I was younger something might kick off and that would be it, you'd probably never see those lads again," he said. "Now if something kicks off, someone gets a name, searches them up on SnapChat or whatever, finds out where they hang about or pretty much where they live and before you know there's direct contact.