Karate Instructor Fights Knife Crime with Free Street Lessons in Bristol

A karate teacher is giving free lessons in the street to help stop knife crime. He says, "If I can save at least one child, then I'm happy."

Shelim Ali lives in Knowle, Bristol. He started Knives Down Guards Up (KDGU) in 2023. He holds lessons in public places, like under the M32 flyover. The next one will be in Rawnsley Park, Easton, at 2:00 pm BST.

Shelim is 46 years old. He teaches self-defence, karate moves, and how to stay aware of danger. He also helps kids talk about their problems.

He said, “The best way to stop knife crime is to start early. We need to give young people discipline and focus.”

Shelim has a black belt. He has taught karate and given talks for almost 30 years. He loved action films as a kid and started learning martial arts from his dad. Later, he joined Scorpion Karate Academy in Eastville. He now teaches there and has about 60 students.

He is also a father of three. He started KDGU in September 2023 after some very worrying knife crime cases. These included the deaths of 19-year-old Eddie Kinuthia, Adam Ali Ibrahim, and 16-year-old Mikey Roynon. Mikey was stabbed at a party in Bath in June 2023.

A report from the Bristol Community Safety Partnership in January said knife crimes rose by 400 cases from the year before. From April 2023 to March 2024, there were 1,953 crimes with knives.

Even though Bristol had fewer violent crimes than the rest of England, it had more violent injuries per 1,000 people than London.

The rise in knife crimes may be due to more police work. More checks mean more crimes are being found.

‘Enough is enough’

Shelim thought about waiting for funding or help from other groups. But then he said, “Enough is enough.” He decided to help kids right away by sharing his skills.

All lessons are outdoors. This makes them easy to find. Many young people join just by walking past.

“There’s a lot going on in our city,” he said. “A lot of kids are being led the wrong way.”

He added, “It starts with small things. ‘Hold this for me,’ or ‘Take this to someone.’ Then soon, they’re carrying packages and doing things they shouldn’t.”

KDGU helps kids see danger signs early. It gives them skills to deal with peer pressure and fights.

Shelim said the response has been great. Some kids now have a better attitude.

He told a story about one boy who was loud and active at first. After six weeks of calm lessons, the boy changed a lot.

“You need to go slow with young people,” Shelim said. “Small steps matter.”