An Express investigation into fundraisers for knife crime community interest companies has prompted politicians and activists to demand a crackdown on what they describe as exploitative practices on London's streets.
Conservative London Assembly leader Susan Hall said she was "sickened" by the findings. "I'm not the least bit surprised," she added, "[I] do not doubt that this must be the tip of a very murky iceberg. The public are very generous and inclined to support charities - that their support and their money may have been siphoned off boils my blood. Throw open the books - we must get to the bottom of what has happened here."
Disturbing scenes witnessed
During the investigation, a girl appearing no older than 13 was seen walking alone into a dark tunnel with a clipboard to approach strangers for cash at an East London station, an incident immediately reported to the police. At another location, a man claiming to be a volunteer admitted he "didn't know" who he was actually working for.
When the Express approached fundraisers in North London, they fled, hiding their ID badges. At a central commuter spot, a collector became argumentative, accusing a reporter of "harassment" for asking basic questions. Other members of his group, wearing face coverings, took turns staring at and filming the reporter in an apparent attempt to intimidate.
Charity boss describes model as 'bogus'
A leading knife crime charity boss, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of unwanted attention, described the model as "bogus" and dangerously close to gang exploitation. "To create a scenario where a child is put at risk is just horrifying," he said. "The model reeks of exploitation. It is not the environment you want to bring impressionable young people into, because it is not a million miles from the gang model."
He added that genuine organisations are seeing none of the benefits from these street collections. "I've never met anybody who's been on any of their courses, and I've never met any organisations who've done anything with them. There's no evidence of them doing any positive action to tackle knife crime. I can see the money not going anywhere near the services they claim to deliver."
Money funnelled into CICs
Although collectors carry clipboards and wear lanyards like standard charity workers, none of the organisations the Express found them working for are registered non-profits. Instead, the money is funnelled into Community Interest Companies (CICs), which commit to serving the community while still being allowed to earn a profit. CICs face far less financial scrutiny than registered charities and allow directors to draw personal salaries.
In many cases, fundraisers actively hid who they were working for. However, a volunteer for Mentor Point Youth CIC who spoke outside Camden Town Station did say who he was with. The company's accounts showed it earned and spent close to £150,000, but provided little detail on what. It was listed as having a single employee, almost no physical assets and held zero stakeholder consultations. Its website promises youth programmes like boxing, football, and GCSE tutoring, but gives no dates or times, listing sessions vaguely at Barking Town Hall, although the council said no one from the group has ever booked a space there. There were also many examples of text on its website and magazine copied from seemingly unrelated parties.
Bruce Houlder, founder of Fighting Knife Crime London, said he found the findings "concerning" and said his organisation's reputation had been affected by these groups. "I find it very sad that this work gets monetised by those not applying the proceeds to the direct benefit of young people. I have not been aware of the extent of this, and feel it tends to reduce the diminishing pot for charities like mine which are entirely dependent on the generosity of individual donors," he said.
Public urged to remain vigilant
Justine Carter, Deputy CEO of anti-slavery charity Unseen, told the Express that the public should remain vigilant and report any concerns, especially when children are involved. "Some of the behaviours described are concerning and raise important questions about whether people involved in these activities could be experiencing exploitation," she said. "Modern slavery is not always easy to recognise. It can take place in plain sight, within our communities and on our streets, and those responsible can use seemingly legitimate organisations or employment arrangements to disguise what is happening."
The Metropolitan Police has been contacted for comment.
