Keelan Wilson's mother Kelly says youths carrying knives no longer fear police
Knife crime is surging because people who carry weapons are no longer scared of the police, the mother of a teenage boy stabbed to death in the Black Country has said.
Kelly Ellitts said tougher sentences and increased use of stop and search powers were needed to tackle knife crime.
Her 15-year-old son Keelan Wilson was stabbed to death in Merry Hill, Wolverhampton, in May last year after being ambushed while tending to a broken down car.
Express & Star comment: All law and order fallen by wayside
David Jamieson: Excluded children 'sucked into criminality'
Ms Ellitts also believes Teresa May's decision to reduce stop and search powers as Home Secretary has contributed to the recent surge in knife crime.
The mother said she agreed with Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson that there was a link between school exclusions and knife crime, as young boys banned from school feel "given up on" and can lead to them turning towards gangs.
Keelan had been excluded from school before his death.
Keelan was just yards from the family home when he was set upon by the armed group of masked attackers.
No-one has been charged over his death, although six teens – aged between 14 and 17 – were arrested and released under investigation.
Ms Ellitts, aged 41, said: "They are not scared of the police. They know their powers are limited and that they can get away with things and not get tough sentences.
"I'm a massive fan of stop and search but I do think it's a little bit pointless because they announce they are going to do it. They talk on social media and say "don't go to this area, they are doing a Section 60". The rules are going to have to change, there has to be adjustments to their rules and regulations."
She added: “Theresa May’s decision to reduce stop and search when she was home secretary was ridiculous.
“She will never see herself in a situation like the one I’ve been left in, so she doesn’t properly understand. Things like this don’t happen to people like her.
Ms Ellitts believes schools have a role to play to make sure troubled children who get excluded aren't left with nowhere to turn.
She said: "The reality is teenage boys aren't easy. They feel like they have been given up on and they look to other people to get that acceptance as they are not being accepted by their school.
"They are not educating these boys about the consequences of what can happen if they get involved with gangs."
