{"id":80886,"date":"2025-04-08T19:27:02","date_gmt":"2025-04-08T19:27:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/?p=80886"},"modified":"2025-12-05T16:14:52","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T16:14:52","slug":"the-horrifying-impact-of-knife-crime-on-youth-in-the-united-kingdom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/the-horrifying-impact-of-knife-crime-on-youth-in-the-united-kingdom\/","title":{"rendered":"The horrifying impact of knife crime on youth in England and Wales"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>The last ten years have seen an alarming and continued rise in knife-enabled crime in <strong>England and Wales<\/strong>. Driven by an underlying, growing serious youth violence epidemic, and enabled by continued legislative and policy deficiencies, the crime has become one of the most widespread risks to child safety. Though recent developments point to a positive evolution in the national response, greater efforts are required to ensure measures prioritise children\u2019s <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/the-principle-of-the-best-interest-of-the-child\/\"><strong>best interests<\/strong><\/a><strong> and recognise their innate vulnerability.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The scale of the crisis&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2024, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported over 55,000 incidents of knife-enabled crime in England and Wales \u2013 a 4% increase compared to the previous year and an 80% increase relative to figures from a decade ago (Office for National Statistics, 2025). This figure included over 260 murders in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/united-kingdom\/\">England<\/a> and Wales involving a knife or a sharp instrument, and a further 3,735 admissions into NHS hospitals as a result of assault by a sharp object (Office for National Statistics, 2025).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Though knife-enabled crimes are geographically dispersed, the majority of incidents occur in metropolitan areas: Greater London, the West Midlands and Greater Manchester account for nearly half of all England and Wales incidents (Office for National Statistics, 2025).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Young people at risk<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Children and young persons under the age of 25 are one of the most affected demographics. In 2022-23, 42 young people aged 16-19 fell victims of knife-enabled homicides (His Majesty\u2019s Inspectorate of Probation, 2024). Last year, in 2024, 57 persons under the age of 25 were murdered with a knife or sharp object (Office for National Statistics, 2025).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"676\" src=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/shutterstock_421952542-1024x676.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-80887\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/shutterstock_421952542-1024x676.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/shutterstock_421952542-300x198.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/shutterstock_421952542-768x507.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/shutterstock_421952542-1536x1014.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/shutterstock_421952542-2048x1352.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/shutterstock_421952542-830x548.jpg 830w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/shutterstock_421952542-230x152.jpg 230w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/shutterstock_421952542-350x231.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/shutterstock_421952542-480x317.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Broader research on the drivers of knife-related incidents within youth communities depicts a serious <a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/violence\/\">youth violence<\/a> epidemic, affecting both young people regularly involved in violence and others, indirectly (His Majesty\u2019s Inspectorate of Probation, 2024). Serious youth violence refers to actions causing serious or grievous bodily harm, or weapon-enabled crime, involving victims up to the age of 19. Evidence points to entire communities overrun by serious youth violence, propagating widespread fear amongst youth populations (His Majesty\u2019s Inspectorate of Probation, 2024).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A 2023 survey of nearly 8,000 children across England and Wales highlighted similar levels of societal instability, finding 25% of all respondents had either perpetrated or been a victim of violence (His Majesty\u2019s Inspectorate of Probation, 2024). Nearly half of the same respondents claimed to have witnessed violence in 2023 (His Majesty\u2019s Inspectorate of Probation, 2024).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Serious youth violence has also been shown to have strong links to other forms of harm and exploitation, intersecting with county lines \u2013 the organised criminal movement of illicit drugs within England and Wales \u2013 and child criminal exploitation (His Majesty\u2019s Inspectorate of Probation, 2024). In a national landscape where law enforcement face increasing resource challenges as crime continues to thrive, police forces risk being overrun by the volume and scale of violent activity.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Gaps in the response<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The national response to knife-enabled crime has been unable to comprehensively address underlying drivers of serious <a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/united-kingdom\/\">youth violence<\/a> or stem the flow and accessibility of dangerous weapons. On the latter, knife-enabled crime is often perpetrated using machetes or so-called \u2018zombie knives\u2019: ornate and elaborate weapons inspired by zombie-themed horror films. Efforts to outlaw these weapons have proved ineffective.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Data collected by the Office for National Statistics Centre for Crime and Justice found that between April 2023 to March 2024, of 262 offences perpetrated using a sharp object, 109 offences were perpetrated using a kitchen knife, 18 using a machete, 13 using a Rambo\/combat knife, 4 using a zombie knife, the rest of the sharp instruments being an axe, flick knife, hunting knife, lock knife, sword and other sharp instruments (Office for Office for National Statistics Centre for Crime and Justice, 2025).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A 2016 ban on the sale of zombie knives was undermined by a gap in the legal provision which enabled distributors to re-categorise the tools by \u2018removing threatening language from the blades\u2019, rendering them legal (Musa-Eiggie, 2025). The absence of comprehensive legislation, combined with a dearth of victim-friendly mechanisms for disclosing and handing-in weapons to law enforcement, has helped keep knives on the street.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At a broader level, studies have observed a national failure to integrate local safeguarding partnerships into serious youth violence contexts (His Majesty\u2019s Inspectorate of Probation, 2024). Rather than treating children \u2013 perpetrators or otherwise \u2013 as victims, the government\u2019s response to date has offered little guidance to families and communities on how to address the issue within their local area (His Majesty\u2019s Inspectorate of Probation, 2024).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Existing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/protection\/\">child protection<\/a> mechanisms demonstrate an overfocus on risk within the family, rather than outside the home (His Majesty\u2019s Inspectorate of Probation, 2024). As a result, some children involved in or affected by serious youth violence fall outside of the scope of national safeguarding efforts, and are not provided any formalised support.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Children have further been isolated from most decision-making processes on knife-enabled crime policy and strategy. If their views are not prioritised and integrated into national responses, actions risk overlooking the main drivers of violence and, crucially, obscuring some of the particular characteristics that enhance vulnerability (His Majesty\u2019s Inspectorate of Probation, 2024).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Though knife-enabled crime does not discriminate, some of its underlying drivers intersect with wider inequities in the criminal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/what-is-justice\/\">justice system<\/a> (Popham, 2024). For instance, children from particular ethnic and racial backgrounds are not only more likely to face school exclusions and interact with the criminal justice system but are also disproportionately interrogated and strip-searched by law enforcement (His Majesty\u2019s Inspectorate of Probation, 2024).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Studies from 2022-23 show black children in England and Wales were over six times more likely to be murdered relative to their national population distribution, as well as \u2018twice as likely to be arrested\u2019 (His Majesty\u2019s Inspectorate of Probation, 2024). If policymakers do not consider and directly address these underlying inequities, they risk implementing measures that do not prioritise the most at-risk communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Ways forward&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Changes in the policy and enforcement landscape in the last two years offer reasons to be optimistic about an evolving prioritisation of knife-enabled crime. Legislatively, the Government\u2019s Crime and Policing Bill will close the existing loophole for zombie knives and samurai swords and extends novel sanctions for tech companies who allow the sale of banned knives on their platforms (Nevett, 2024).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Bill will also mandate retailers to disclose suspicious knife purchases, impose more stringent ID checks for buyers and, over time, be asked to partake in a licensing scheme to register and track knife purchases (Green &amp; Bridge, 2025). Following inputs from the National Police Chief\u2019s Council (NPCC), the Bill will also include increases in prison sentences for the distribution of weapons to children and a new \u201cpossession with violent intent\u201d charge to offer a stronger deterrent to potential offenders (Green &amp; Bridge, 2025).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In late 2024, the government encouraged and enabled legal knife owners to hand in their weapons to police stations without prosecution (Musa-Eiggie, 2025). In response to calls for more effective multi-agency partnerships on the issue, the Prime Minister recently established a cross-sector coalition to tackle knife crime.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This partnership includes government, victims and their families, tech companies, local grassroots organisations and public service partners \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/health\/\">health<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/right-to-education\/\">education<\/a> and enforcement (Home Office, 2024).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the ground, the government has committed to encouraging and investing in efforts to enhance public safety. Across the national police forces, an additional 13,000 officers have been promised in response to severe capacity challenges (Nevett, 2024). Within the framework of the Serious Violence Duty \u2013 a 2023-established obligation \u2013 the government has further urged councils and local services to more routinely share information on serious violence and develop strategies that address root causes (His Majesty\u2019s Inspectorate of Probation, 2024).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/shutterstock_2107153184-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-80888\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/shutterstock_2107153184-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/shutterstock_2107153184-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/shutterstock_2107153184-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/shutterstock_2107153184-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/shutterstock_2107153184-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/shutterstock_2107153184-830x554.jpg 830w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/shutterstock_2107153184-230x153.jpg 230w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/shutterstock_2107153184-350x233.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/shutterstock_2107153184-480x320.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/shutterstock_2107153184-272x182.jpg 272w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Humanium works for a world where children\u2019s rights are universally and effectively respected, protected and enforced in all circumstances involving a child. You can help raise awareness on children\u2019s issues in the world by supporting Humanium \u2013 through&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/child-sponsorship\/\">sponsoring a child<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/donation\/\">making a donation<\/a>,&nbsp;becoming a member&nbsp;or a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/participate\/volunteer\/\">volunteer<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Written by Vanessa Cezarita Cordeiro&nbsp;<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>References:<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Adams, Richard. (2024, November 20). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/uk-news\/2024\/nov\/20\/knife-blighting-the-lives-of-too-many-children-in-england-warn-inspectors\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cKnife crime \u2018blighting the lives of too many children\u2019 in England, warns inspectors.\u201d<\/a> Retrieved from The Guardian, accessed on 25 February 2025.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Green, R. &amp; Bridge, R. (2025, 19 February). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/c4g0ldgvnx3o#:~:text=A%20new%20offence%20of%20%22possession,scheme%20for%20online%20knife%20sellers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cNew knife laws will make difference, says victim\u2019s sister.\u201d<\/a> Retrieved from BBC News, accessed on 25 February 2025.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">His Majesty\u2019s Inspectorate of Probation. (2024, November 20). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/publications\/multi-agency-responses-to-serious-youth-violence-working-together-to-support-and-protect-children\/multi-agency-responses-to-serious-youth-violence-working-together-to-support-and-protect-children\">\u201cMulti-agency responses to serious youth violence: working together to support and protect <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/publications\/multi-agency-responses-to-serious-youth-violence-working-together-to-support-and-protect-children\/multi-agency-responses-to-serious-youth-violence-working-together-to-support-and-protect-children\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">children<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/publications\/multi-agency-responses-to-serious-youth-violence-working-together-to-support-and-protect-children\/multi-agency-responses-to-serious-youth-violence-working-together-to-support-and-protect-children\">.\u201d<\/a> Retrieved from His Majesty\u2019s Inspectorate of Probation, accessed on 25 February 2025.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Home Office. (2024, 9 September). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/news\/government-to-launch-new-coalition-to-tackle-knife-crime\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cGovernment to launch new coalition to tackle knife crime.\u201d<\/a> Retrieved from Home Office, accessed on 25 February 2025.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Musa-Eiggie, L. (2025, January 30). <a href=\"https:\/\/youthendowmentfund.org.uk\/four-months-on-zombie-knife-ban-has-it-made-a-difference\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cFour months on: Zombie knife ban \u2013 has it made a difference?\u201d<\/a> Retrieved from Youth Endowment Fund, accessed on 1 March 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Nevett, J. (2024, September 24). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/c3e9vv3jzzxo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cLabour on a mission to halve knife crime, Cooper says.\u201d<\/a> Retrieved from BBC News, accessed on 28 February 2025.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Office for National Statistics. (2025, January 30). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ons.gov.uk\/peoplepopulationandcommunity\/crimeandjustice\/bulletins\/crimeinenglandandwales\/yearendingseptember2024\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cCrime in England and Wales: year ending September 2024.\u201d<\/a> Retrieved from Office for National Statistics, accessed on 28 February 2025.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Office for National Statistics Centre for Crime and Justice. (2025, February 6). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ons.gov.uk\/peoplepopulationandcommunity\/crimeandjustice\/datasets\/appendixtableshomicideinenglandandwales\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cHomicide in England and Wales: year ending March 2024 \u2013 appendix tables.\u201d<\/a> Retrieved from Office for National Statistics, accessed on 10 March 2025.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Popham, Dr. C. (2024, May 23). <a href=\"https:\/\/youthendowmentfund.org.uk\/behind-the-knife-crime-statistics-understanding-children-who-carry-weapons\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cBehind the knife crime statistics: understanding children who carry weapons.\u201d<\/a> Retrieved from Youth Endowment Fund, accessed on 1 March 2025.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Walker, G. &amp; Sandeman, G. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/c1jgz1ld7lno\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cIdris Elba on stabbing crisis: \u2018not all kitchen knives need a point on them.\u2019\u201d<\/a> Retrieved from BBC News, accessed on 25 February 2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The last ten years have seen an alarming and continued rise in knife-enabled crime in England and Wales. Driven by an underlying, growing serious youth violence epidemic, and enabled by continued legislative and policy deficiencies, the crime has become one of the most widespread risks to child safety. Though recent developments point to a positive [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":80889,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[152,11,144],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-80886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-childrens-rights","category-human-rights-programmes","category-violence"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The horrifying impact of knife crime on youth in England and Wales - Humanium<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The last ten years have seen an alarming and continued rise in knife-enabled crime in England and Wales.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/the-horrifying-impact-of-knife-crime-on-youth-in-the-united-kingdom\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The horrifying impact of knife crime on youth in England and Wales - 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