Knife crime is never the answer

Posted 01/04/22

Written by
Steven Astley

Knife crime has risen exponentially in the UK since even the turn of the century.  In the 22 years since we ticked over from the 20th to 21st century, a whole generation have had to grow-up and become accustomed to the reality of day-to-day knife crime.  The Covid pandemic, ensuing lockdowns and restriction of movement appear to have blunted the reality of some of the most startling crime statistics.  By the time those statistics catch-up with reality, it may be too late to effectively tackle the problem.  Over the last year there were over 46,000 recorded knife related offences in the UK.  That is over 140 incidents per day.  Over 200 of those resulted in deaths across the year.  

In the Greater Manchester area alone, a rapid increase in the number of knife related crimes has led to the Police deploying special stop and search powers under Section 60 of the 1994 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act, in the majority of Boroughs.  Section 60 gives police the right to search people without reasonable grounds in a defined area at a specific time, such as on a particular street or area.

Knife violence is never the answer.  Each time there is a knife crime offence it results in a family, even a whole community, ripped apart, be it a serious assault, or a death. One knife crime offence is one too many. One life lost to knife crime is one too many.

Sadly, a high propotion of knife crime is being reported in the under-25's age category, making it all the more tragic.  

It is endemic.  As parents, the Police, local authorities and charities struggle to respond and manage the crisis, a welcome announcement from the GMCA that funding to tackle and reduce this type of crime at source is to be extended by a further 3 years. Funding boost for Greater Manchester’s Violence Reduction Unit – three more years working to tackle serious violence - Greater Manchester Combined Authority (greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk)

The question remains, will this be enough to tackle the problem?  

The answer will for certain be no, not on its own.  It has always been and will always be the responsibility of all of the community to help drive a safer society.  Increased Police presence, workshops in schools, colleges and stronger parenting will all be necessary.   

Our specialist team of criminal injury lawyers have to help the vicitms of these crimes and their families on a day to day basis.  We help guide them through the process of recovering criminal injury compensation.  One thing we know for sure about the compensation we recover for our clients is that no amount of money can take away the ordeal they have been through.  Money can only compensate.  It can't heal wounds and it can't bring loved ones back.  

If you have been the victim of a violent knife crime and would like to talk about the support we can offer please contact our specialist team today.