Across the United Kingdom, knife-related crime has surged over recent years. New figures from the National Statistics Office show a 4% rise in stabbing assaults in 2023 compared with 2022, totaling over 50,000 incidents. When compared with 2015 data, the increase stands at about 78%. Authorities have tried to curb this trend with several measures, but the problem persists due to ongoing challenges in restricting knife sales and structural issues within the country that feed higher crime rates.
In late July, the brutal killing of three young girls aged six, seven, and nine in Southport sparked days of xenophobic unrest across England and Northern Ireland. The attack, carried out by a 17-year-old armed with a knife, was followed by another daytime assault in central London on an 11-year-old girl. Knife violence involving or affecting minors is not unusual in the United Kingdom, a pattern highlighted for years by advocacy groups and researchers who call for stronger, more comprehensive responses.
“The loss of these young lives to senseless violence underscores the urgent need to treat knife crime as a national emergency,” stated Patrick Green, leader of the Ben Kinsella Trust, a charity dedicated to fighting knife violence. “Immediate, decisive action is essential. The government must translate its promises into concrete policies without delay.” The Labour government has pledged to build on the previous administration’s efforts to reduce this class of crime, which now accounts for roughly 38% of all homicides recorded in the last decade.
Legislative change
The Parliament approved at the start of the year a revision to the Criminal Justice Act that bans possession, manufacture, sale, import, and supply of so-called zombie knives, including all straight-edged or sharply pointed blades longer than 20 centimeters. The Home Office will run a buy-back window from August 26 to September 24, inviting individuals who hold such blades to surrender them in exchange for a 10-pound compensation per knife, or a higher amount if a purchase receipt proves higher value.
The aim is to end murders like the one of Daniel Anjorin, a London boy aged 14 who died in late April after a knife attack while on his way to school. The attacker, 34, severed his neck from behind and then pierced his chest. Earlier, two 12-year-olds used a 42-centimeter machete to kill Shawn Seesahai, a 19-year-old who did not know them, in a Wolverhampton park. In the same town, another teenager, 16, died after an encounter with two 17-year-olds armed with a ninja sword bought online under a false identity.
Prevention focus
Despite parliamentary efforts to curb this wave of violence with the new ban, some lawmakers doubt its effectiveness. Shortly after its introduction, a Lords committee warned that legal loopholes could allow access to other types of knives not covered by the ban. “We have seen attempts to ban dangerous knives that failed to achieve the desired outcome because the weapon type was defined too narrowly. People intent on possessing them can turn to slightly different designs,” warned Rupert Ponsonby, Baron de Mauley, a committee member in a February session.
Beyond restricting access to knives, major organizations specializing in this issue stress that prevention remains the best long-term strategy. “Law enforcement is essential but often reactive. Investing in prevention yields viable solutions that address the root causes of the problem,” said the president of the Ben Kinsella Trust. “The coming months are critical, and we stand ready to work with the government to tackle this pressing issue and build a safer future for our young people.”