Serious Youth Violence (SYV) is now regarded as a public health issue in Britain. While it is not a new phenomenon, over the last five years the numbers of lives lost to it, has created real disquiet in various communities (especially Black communities), and led to numerous calls for government and the police to do more to address this matter.
But what is the scale of the issue? We have provided data which provides greater detail about this issue.
Knife crime figures for England and Wales:
There were 50,500 police recorded offences from 2023 to March 2024. This involved offences with a knife or sharp edge. The figures show a 78% rise from 2014 to 2024. The figures also show a 4.7% higher rise than in 2021/22 but 7% lower than in 2019/20.
The most common method of killing, for both male and female victims, was by a sharp instrument (including knives; 41%). Over the last decade the proportion of homicide offences committed by a sharp instrument has fluctuated between 31% and 42% each year.
There were 244 homicides committed using a knife or other sharp instrument recorded in the year ending March 2023, a decrease of 13% compared with the previous year.
(Figures from ONS released in February 2024).
Hospital admissions for knife assaults (admissions for assault by a sharp object, England)
Recent figures show that there were 3,888 hospital admissions in England in the 12 months figures released in March 2024. This is a 3% increase from March 2023.
Doctors said the injuries they were treating were becoming more severe and the victims were getting younger, with increasing numbers of girls involved.
Knife crime victims
There were 51 homicide victims aged 13 to 19 years in the year ending March 2023.
Teenage victims are far more likely to be killed by a knife or sharp instrument than for victims of all ages.
Shockingly, 82% of homicides among teenage victims involve the use of a knife or sharp instrument,
Knife crime offenders
73% of all offenders are BAME
17% of all offenders are 20-24
41% of all offenders are 15-19
London
In March 2024, London witnessed an increase in knife crime. The number of knife or sharp instrument offenses recorded by the police rose to approximately 12,786, compared with 11,122 in the previous year. This was the highest number of knife crime offenses reported in London since 2019/201 [Statista].
Knife crime sentencing
Sentencing statistics from the Ministry of Justice show that in the year ending March 2023, there were just over 19,000 cautions and convictions made for possession of a knife or offensive weapon. Juveniles (aged 10-17) were the offenders in around 185 of cases.