Praying for an end to knife crime

4:59pm Friday 29th August 2008

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PARISHIONERS from churches across Bexley packed Trinity Baptist Church in Bexleyheath Broadway for the Bexley leg of a London-wide Prayer Rally for Peace.

The initiative by an alliance of London churches, will cover all 33 London boroughs and focuses on knife and gun crime.

Churches from all over the borough were represented during the three-hour rally, where the congregation was addressed by several speakers.

These included borough chaplain, the Rev Martin Seymour who spoke about what the Church can do to help young people understand acceptable moral standards and boundaries.

Borough police commander, Chief Superintendent Tony Dawson, explained the work organisations in the borough are doing with young people in the borough.

These includes an initiative, SAFE (Smoke and Alcohol Free Events), currently at the planning stage, which is working with young advisors to organise events for young people to keep them off the streets and out of trouble.

Mr Dawson also spoke about the School Pastors scheme to be trialled in one of the borough's secondary schools, where Christian volunteers will mix and talk with pupils inside and outside schools and on their bus journeys home.

The final speaker was Pastor Roland Bamidele from Christ Apostolic Church, Welling