Government expands crackdown on knife crime

More than 230 areas most affected by knife crime will see more police patrols, CCTV and early prevention work as part of a knife crime crackdown across 27 police forces in England and Wales.

The Home Secretary is backing local plans developed by police and councils to tackle crimes, save lives and protect local communities.  

Each plan will be tailored to the area. They will combine tough police enforcement activity such as enhanced police patrols, alongside programmes designed for young people most at risk of being a victim or a perpetrator of knife crime.  

There will also be improvements to public spaces, including better lighting and redesigning areas to prevent weapons being hidden. 

Growing evidence shows that concerted action in small, targeted areas is the most effective way of driving down knife crime. This crackdown comes as new data shows 7 forces - Metropolitan Police, West Midlands Police, Greater Manchester Police, West Yorkshire Police, South Yorkshire Police, Avon and Somerset Police and British Transport Police - made real inroads into tackling an issue that has blighted communities across the country, identifying and arresting more people through the better sharing of data. 

Across these forces, knife-enabled robbery has plummeted by nearly a quarter (23%) since the General Election - with more than 3,600 fewer knife robberies reported.  

This builds on huge steps forward on knife crime since the government came into office. Overall knife crime is down by 11%, as the government continues to make progress towards its target of halving it within a decade.  

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said:  

Everyone deserves to feel safe in their community, and no young life should be blighted by knife crime.   

Targeted policing and prevention, focused on the areas where the need is greatest, is already cutting knife robberies by nearly a quarter. That means safer streets, and fewer lives lost.  

I am now taking this approach to more than 230 areas across the country. This government is getting tough on knife crime and on the causes of knife crime to make our communities safer.

Yesterday (17 September), Shabana Mahmood visited the West Midlands, one of the regions receiving additional funding through the Knife Crime Concentrations Fund.   

She was joined at a local boxing gym, which plays a vital part in supporting vulnerable young people to stay away from crime, by members of the Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime: Lynne Baird MBE, Pastor Lorraine Jones Burrell MBE, and Pooja Kanda OBE.  

Campaigning by these 3 women - who have all tragically lost children to knives - has helped keep the issue at the top of the national agenda and reinforced the need for action on enforcement, prevention and protecting young people from being drawn into violence.   

Pooja Kanda OBE, founder of Justice for Ronan Kanda, said: 

Having lost my son Ronan, I know the devastating consequences of knife crime. Behind every statistic is a family and community that has been changed forever. 

These reductions are encouraging, but I am even more encouraged by the Home Secretary's commitment to targeted action in areas experiencing the greatest harm. Enforcement is vital, but sitting equally alongside prevention and early intervention reaching young people before violence sets in and addressing the circumstances that allow it to develop. 

Ronan's Law showed what can be achieved when government, campaigners, policing and communities work together. The progress we are seeing matters. Now we must remain determined, build on it, and continue to give young people genuine alternatives and hope.

Lynne Baird MBE, founder of the Daniel Baird Foundation, said: 

The Daniel Baird Foundation welcomes the Home Office's focus on tackling knife crime, and the targeted action being taken in communities most affected by violence.

Reducing knife-enabled robbery and preventing young people from becoming involved in violence is vitally important. We commend the funding's ability to be used for preventative measures, including education, early intervention and an understanding of the devasting consequences that knife crime can have. 

Our vision is in line with the government's - stop the violence where we can. Prevention saves lives. Preparedness saves lives too.

Pastor Lorraine Jones Burrell MBE, founder of Dwaynamics, said: 

As a mother who lost my son Dwayne to knife crime, and as someone who has spent many years working on the frontline with young people, families and communities affected by violence, this announcement gives me greater peace of mind, despite the tears that will always remain. For me, it is loss mixed with hope. 

I particularly want to commend the Home Secretary for the leadership, determination and humanity being shown in driving this work forward. What stands out to me is that this is not only about policies, policing or statistics. There is a human approach at the heart of it: one that recognises the value of every young life and understands the devastating impact violence has on families and communities. As a bereaved mother, that matters deeply to me. 

Through my involvement with the government's Knife Crime Coalition, the importance of grassroots organisations that bring people together around a shared determination to save young lives has been recognised. There is compassion alongside action, and that gives me hope. It shows our young people that their futures matter at the very highest levels of government. This is how we begin mending what has been broken.