Knife Crimes – What Do the Statistics Tell Us?
The latest government statistics for knife crimes give an interesting insight into the continuing prevalence of these offences in England & Wales.
The year-end figure for all knife crimes shows a 3% decrease in offending, but this still represents an increase of 13% over the last decade.
‘Possession of an article with a blade or point’ constituted 71% of all knife and offensive weapon sentencing offences.
‘Possession of an offensive weapon’ offences accounted for 29% of total offences in the year ending March 2024. The number of these offences was 5,339, which represents the lowest number of ‘possession of an offensive weapon’ offences over the last ten years. This was a decrease compared to both the previous year (2% decrease) and the year ending March 2024 (18% decrease).
‘Threatening with a knife or offensive weapon’ offences accounted for 1% of total offences in the latest year. The number of ‘threatening with a knife or offensive weapon’ offences has seen a decrease of 70% compared to the previous year, and a decrease of 59% since the offence was introduced in the year ending March 2014.
In this article, we investigate what the statistics of knife crime in the UK mean and explain how JFH Crime can help provide specialist advice for those facing criminal investigation.
Statistics of Knife Crime in the UK Explained
1. Sentencing
Offenders receiving an immediate custodial sentence for knife crimes dropped by 3.4% points, which may well reflect the current crisis in our prisons, with judges told to avoid custody if at all possible.
In total, some 29% of offenders received an immediate custodial sentence. Notwithstanding this average year’s fall, compared to a decade ago, there is a 0.4% increase in the use of immediate custody as a sentencing disposal.
Average sentence length is currently 7.7 months. By way of comparison in 2017 the average sentence length was 7.1 months.
2. Guilty Pleas
93% of all repeat offenders pleaded guilty. This is a 1.2% increase compared to the year ending March 2023 and a 1.5% increase since the year ending March 2017.
The proportion of repeat offenders who pleaded guilty to a knife crime and received immediate custody in the year ending March 2024 was 58%.
The number of repeat offenders who pleaded guilty and received immediate custody decreased 3% over the latest year and increased 1% since the year ending March 2017.
3. First-Time Offenders
First-time knife offenders represented 69% of the offenders charged. This is at its lowest figure in a decade.
Over the latest year a total of 4,295 repeat possession occasions were sentenced under Section 315 of the Sentencing Act 2020, with 4,042 repeat adult possession occasions and 253 repeat 16 to 17-year-olds possession occasions.
How can we help?
As the statistics of knife crime in the UK show, over recent years, there has been a steady increase in knife crime, with London having the highest rate of knife crime in the country.
As one of the top criminal law firms in London, if you need specialist advice in relation to any criminal investigation or prosecution, from the initial investigation through to court proceedings, our team are well equipped to handle your knife crime case from beginning to end.
If you would like to find out more about how we can help, please get in touch. Call John Howey on 020 7388 1658 or email jhowey@jfhlaw.co.uk. Let us help.
Image credit: “Kit Knife” by CapCase is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
