It is an imposing structure, the Knife Angel.
Standing at 27ft tall, the statue is made from 100,000 seized blades, each moulded around this haunting figure.
The sheer size of the angel makes it hard to ignore, but the message it carries is what makes it powerful.
Also known as the National Monument Against Violence and Aggression, the artwork is a loud voice against knife crime.
And it is that message we must remember long after the statue leaves Perth.
A message that should be built upon so no more families experience the heartbreak of losing young lives, any lives, to such needless violence.
Victims’ families attended torchlit vigil
Perth has suffered its own tragedies in recent years.
The families of Cameron Rae and Barry Dixon were both in attendance at the torchlit vigil on Friday night.
The two young men were stabbed to death in horrific attacks four years apart.
Cameron was 20 when he was murdered, Barry killed at 22.
Both of their families have been left devastated, unable to comprehend the senselessness of such violent acts.
And both have spoken out about the grave need to tackle knife crime and treat this blight on society as seriously as possible.
As serious as the all too tragic consequences.
Opportunity for wider discussion
Perth is the first place in Scotland to host the Knife Angel – the statue had been touring England and Wales since 2018.
It might seem of minor significance to bring the artwork north, but it’s these small steps which can grow into a wider conversation.
Finally hosting the Knife Angel in Scotland should be the catalyst for a national conversation, the beginning of the next step in facing these horrific crimes head on.
The local authority should be recognised for initiating that discussion.
It’s now the job of government, of the police, of schools, and of ourselves as a wider collective, to ensure we remember what the artwork stands for.
To ensure its message is carried on.
We need to get knives off our streets
When the Knife Angel first arrived in December, Cameron’s parents and Barry’s aunt spoke with The Courier.
They were clear that more focus was needed on getting knives off the streets.
Both families believe there is a lack of punishment for people who are caught with such weapons.
Caleb Ferguson was apprehended by police while carrying a blade in Perth less than six months before he murdered Cameron.
Understandably, Cameron’s parents wonder why he was still free to hurt their child.
“If police stepped in early to make sure he [Ferguson] wasn’t carrying a blade Cammy might still be alive,” said Scott Rae, Cameron’s dad.
It’s hard not to believe there is truth in that statement.
The legacy of the Knife Angel must be to rid our streets of knives – and to make sure there are proper safeguards in place against those who are caught carrying them.
Be it tougher sentences, a knife amnesty, better education, or a combination of all three, we must address this violent behaviour now.
Lives will be lost if we don’t.
Conversation