Parents horrified after child discovers 8in kitchen knife in Portsmouth park – and angry that police tell them ‘just put it in the bin’

SHOCKED parents were left horrified after a child discovered an eight inch knife in a packed park – before dangerously waving it around inadvertently.
The knife found at the recThe knife found at the rec
The knife found at the rec

The dagger, thought to have been deliberately stored at Kingston Recreation Ground, sparked pandemonium amongst the scores of parents at the play area during the Easter holidays on Thursday afternoon.

No one was injured but angry parents have raised concerns that events may not have ended so well – and have accused the police of turning their back after they advised worried parents to dispose of the knife in the bin.

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The knife was found by a six-year-old autistic boy who ‘did not know what he was holding’ while ‘pointing it about’. 

The knife found at the recThe knife found at the rec
The knife found at the rec

Chelsea White, 27, said she could not believe her eyes when her son Alistair found the knife under a play activity, known as the ‘bouncy belt’.

She said: ‘My son found the large knife under a ride and picked up before a lady went over to help him. He was very upset and didn’t know what he was holding as he has autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

‘The lady took it off him and wrapped it up before we called the police – who told us to just put it in the bin.

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‘I’m furious about their response. My son could have done damage to himself or accidentally to someone else. The police could have just sent someone down just to make everyone feel safe.’

Chelsea White with son AlistairChelsea White with son Alistair
Chelsea White with son Alistair

She added: ‘I don’t feel safe taking my son to the park any more so we won’t be going back there unless the grounds are regularly checked to make it more safe.’

The lady who took the knife from Alistair, who wants to remain anonymous, said: ‘I saw the boy pick up the knife and was worried he may get hurt so took it off him. But he didn’t really know what he was doing with it and was pointing it about.

‘It was obviously extremely dangerous to have a knife in the park. There’s drug dealing that goes on there all the time and this makes you worry about knife crime. The knife was hidden so it looked like someone was going to go back for it at some point.

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‘The police said they were only interested if the knife had blood on it. All the parents are so angry about their response.

‘I had to take the knife back to my house but I don’t want it at my home or to have the responsibility to dispose of it.’

The knife has now been handed in to the recreation’s management company.

A police spokesperson said: ‘I can confirm that this was reported to us and the member of the public was advised to dispose of it in the bin.

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‘Each call we receive is dealt with on a case by case basis. The information provided to the call-taker was assessed and a decision was made, based on that information, that it was not necessary for officers to attend on this occasion and the item was suitable for disposing.’

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