Sir Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labor Party, has announced a major pledge to reduce knife crime in Britain if the party is elected to power next month.
“Knife crime is an issue above and beyond party politics,” he said this week.
“For the grieving parents of sons and daughters who never came home, action to end this epidemic cannot wait.
“Too often we hear similar stories from grieving families who have experienced brutal murders committed by children.”
Stefan Rousseau / PA Wire
Alongside actor Idris Elba, a prominent campaigner against knife crime, Starmer laid out the party’s plan to tackle knife crime as she spoke to families who have lost loved ones.
Starmer also vowed to chair an annual hearing that will seek to reduce the UK’s knife crime incidence over the next 10 years.
So how has knife crime evolved in the UK in recent years?
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How has the number of incidents changed over time?
Police recorded a total of 26,694 cases involving knives or sharp instruments between April 2013 and March 2014.
Since then, cases have increased every year, reaching a peak in Covid before declining again.
This data includes knife crimes related to threats, assaults, robberies, sexual assaults, and murders, which on average have increased by six to seven percent every year until Covid.
Here are the key figures for knife crime in England and Wales (excluding data from Greater Manchester police):
April 2013 to Mar 2014: 26,694
Apr 2014 to Mar 2015: 27,401
Apr 2015 to Mar 2016: 30,927
April 2016 to Mar 2017: 37,811
Apr 2017 to Mar 2018: 45,515
April 2018 to March 2019: 49,342
April 2019 to March 2020: 51,982
April 2020 to March 2021: 41,671
Jan 2022 to Dec 2022: 46,153
Jan 2023 to Dec 2023: 49,489
Although there is a decline in knife crime around 2020, post-pandemic incidents remain.
Just this month, two boys were also named Britain’s youngest knife killers after the 12-year-olds stabbed a stranger with a machete in Wolverhampton.
Labor has said it will introduce a comprehensive ban to tackle knife crime
Joe Giddens / PA
How has this changed specifically in London?
London appears to have a higher number of knife crimes compared to some parts of the country. Other cities and metropolitan areas seem to show similar trends.
London’s Metropolitan Police recorded 29 per cent of all offences, according to the latest ONS figures.
In the year ending December 2023, there was a 20 percent increase in offenses compared to the previous year, with a total of 14,577 knife-related crimes.
To put it in perspective, around 10.1 people in every 100,000 Londoners will be hospitalized after an attack with a knife or sharp object between 2022-23.
The reasons why London has some of the highest levels of knife crime in the country are complex.
However, leaked documents from the Home Office reveal that the Government believes that cuts to police funding itself could lead to an increase in violent crime.
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How old are those involved in knife crime?
In recent years, there has been growing concern about the number of young people involved in knife crime.
But the statistics show that, again, the picture is a bit more complicated. While many young people are involved in knife crime or have witnessed knife crime, reports show that people of all ages are carrying knives.
Of the 19,000 cautions and convictions for knife crime in England and Wales, only 18 per cent of cases involved people aged between 10 and 17.
According to the Ben Kinsella Trust, young people between the ages of 13 and 19 are also twice as likely to be fatally stabbed than ten years ago.
What initiatives are being implemented in the capital?
There are many initiatives in London and further afield to prevent knife crime across the country.
Idris Elba’s Don’t Stop the Future campaign is one of the most famous. It works with grassroots organizations to stop knife crime and raise awareness of the communities most affected.
Lives Not Knives (LNK) is another organization that works to end youth violence through mentoring and community support.
As for government initiatives, the Home Secretary recently pledged ÂŁ4m to improve the detection of knife crime.