A gym owner has been left "disappointed" after police rejected his offer to host a knife amnesty bin at the premises for a second time.

Jay Atkins, who runs Core The Gym in King Street, Maidstone, was told the building could be not used due to safety and reputation risks.

He was told the building could not be used due to the potential hazards associated with the safe storage and collection of knives.

It comes after a stabbing near KFC in Week Street which saw an 18-year-old airlifted to King's College Hospital in London.

The 47-year-old said: "We originally approached Kent Police around three years ago following the murder of Andre Bent, sadly knife crime seems to be a issue in our town and I wanted to hold a knife amnesty to see if we could reduce or play a part in reduction of crime in the area.

"Sadly, Kent Police didn't want to take us up on the offer and yet there's been more murders, so we felt it imperative to approach Kent Police and see if we can get the support of the local community."

Jay Atkins from Core The Gym

Student Andre was fatally stabbed after a brawl outside Gallery Nightclub following a MoStack concert in August 2019.

Mr Atkins wants to prevent further murders like Andre's which "shook the community", but has been disheartened by the lack of support.

He said: "I think it's really disappointing, naturally, all the time that there is crime, we need to be doing something proactive.

"To simply wait and investigate once somebody has been murdered just seems a waste to me."

The father-of-three shared said: "I've always told my children, just give anything over if you're asked for it and don't worry about it, just simply run."

In relation to the crime levels in the town, he said: "It's simply far too high, we need to get together as a community and find initiatives to stop it."

Reflecting on the benefits of training and its ability to steer young people onto the straight and narrow, he added:"I think we provide a positive outlet for people to let off steam and use their energy constructively.

"We have a number of young people, who could potentially lose their way in life and they channel their energy positively into a training environment."

In response, Insp Steve Kent, of Maidstone’s Community Safety Unit, said: "Our officers work tirelessly to keep our communities safe and tackling knife crime remains a force priority.

"Proactive measures to detect and prevent people from carrying weapons include patrols by plain clothes officers and knife arches in public spaces such as outside train stations and parks.

"We also have dedicated county line and gang teams which operate to tackle and dismantle drug supply networks, which often involve violent gang members travelling from London and into Kent towns including Maidstone.

"The force also takes part in regular nationwide campaigns such as Operation Sceptre, which allow us to work even closer with our partners as part of targeted activity to remove knives and weapons from our streets.

"As well as robust enforcement, education remains key in tackling violent crime and preventing people from carrying knives on our streets.

"This is why we work closely with Trading Standards to ensure retailers are complying with legislation around the selling of knives.

"Shops are encouraged to display warnings and posters detailing age restrictions and safety advice and test purchases are carried out on a regular basis.

"Engaging with young people also remains a priority, to ensure they feel safe and understand the dangers around knife crime.

"Our children also need to understand the risks of being involved in gang activity and some of our work across the county is carried out alongside partners such as youth charity ‘Fearless’ at secondary schools and higher education colleges."

In 2020 there were 104 reports of crimes involving knives in Maidstone, the equivalent of two a week.

The town has seen a steady rise in knife offences with 52 arrests for possession in 2018, 64 in 2019 and 71 in 2020.

To combat this, Maidstone was the first town to equip businesses with emergency trauma packs, in the event of a serious incident.

A new crime squad set up by Kent Police, Maidstone Borough Council and Kent County Council (KCC) is set to be introduced in June.

The initiative will see police officers and council workers patrolling the town centre seven days a week.

Additionally, two new gates are to be installed at anti-social-behaviour hotspot, Brenchley Gardens, to combat trouble in the area.

In relation to the Week Street stabbing, Maidstone and the Weald MP Helen Grant said: “It is absolutely abhorrent that crimes such as these are taking place on the streets of Maidstone and something does have to be done.

“My constituency office is located at the heart of this trouble spot and my team and I are ready and willing to work with local traders, residents and all of the partners of the forthcoming task force, to return our shopping streets to pleasurable and safe places to work and play.”