Youth Select Committee launches investigation into UK's rising knife crime

The Youth Select Committee today formally begins a new inquiry into the scourge of knife crime in the UK. The pioneering Committee is calling for evidence from a wide range of contributors, including young people, charities, and businesses.

The announcement comes following a UK-wide ballot of 1.1 million young people aged 11 to 18, in which young people declared knife crime their biggest concern.

And more than 100,000 people signed a Parliament and Government petition demanding a debate on knife crime – resulting in Parliament debating the issue last month.

But research from the House of Commons library showed that knife crime, particularly where it affects young people, has been a ‘persistent and growing concern’ for successive governments. 

Putting a stop to the ever-growing scourge of knife crime is fast becoming a national priority, with the Government making several announcements in recent months, including the introduction of knife crime prevention orders and investment in early intervention projects.

Now in its eighth year, the Youth Select Committee is a British Youth Council initiative, supported by the House of Commons. The eleven committee members are aged 15-17 and include Members of the UK Youth Parliament, Youth Councillors, and representatives from each of the devolved nations.

This year, the committee will look at issues including:

• Is the Government strategy doing enough to effectively combat knife crime?
• Are there trends in the statistics of who is perpetrating and who are the victims of knife crime?
• How is knife crime affecting public services?

Bailey-Lee Robb, a Member of the Youth Select Committee from Fife, Scotland said: “Young people have made it very clear that knife crime continues to be a significant concern.

“The Youth Select Committee want to hear from a whole range of people on this issue so we can find solutions that will have a demonstrable impact of the lives of young people.”

Rt. Hon John Bercow MP, Speaker of the House of Commons said: “Every year the Youth Select Committee play a vital role in raising awareness about the issues affecting young people across the country.

“This year the Committee’s determination to tackle the epidemic of knife crime is something that I wholly support. I will be following this pioneering Committee as they investigate the scourge of knife crime and I eagerly anticipate their report.”

ENDS

Notes for editors

For further information about the 2019 Youth Select Committee please visit the British Youth Council website. The full terms of reference, along with further guidance on the format of evidence and how to submit evidence is available here. You can find out more about the members of this year’s committee here (these links will update at 09:00 Tuesday 09/04/19 once embargo lifts).

The British Youth Council can be found on Twitter @bycLIVE, and the UK Parliament outreach service can be found on @YourUKParl. Join the conversation with #YouthSelect19.

Committee Members are as follows: 

1. Written evidence should be submitted via email to bycyouthselect@parliament.uk or via post to Clerk of the Youth Select Committee c/o European Statutory Instruments Committee, House of Commons, SW1A 0AA. Evidence that is submitted will be published on the British Youth Council website. However, the British Youth Council do reserve the right to redact evidence partially or in full should it contain information we consider to be libellous. If you do not wish your name to be published then please indicate this when you submit your evidence. You will still need to provide your name and contact details as the Committee will not accept anonymous evidence, but that information will not be shared online. Material already published elsewhere should not form the basis of a submission but may be referred to in the response. The Committee will not investigate or publish any individual cases of complaint/allegations. For inquiry related questions please contact bycyouthselect@parliament.uk 
2. Last year the Youth Select Committee conducted an inquiry barriers to work experience. The 2018 Committee took evidence over two oral evidence sessions and received written submissions from numerous contributors. Witnesses included business leaders, charities and young people affected by these barriers. Read last year’s Committee Report, which contains a variety of recommendations for Government, and the Government’s response, which offers an answer to each of the Youth Select Committee’s recommendations. Professional images of the 2018 Youth Select Committee in action are available to download here.