In November 2023, a Parliamentary Briefing was held to discuss the findings of the Knife Crime and Youth Violence Think Tank Report and a Systematic Review on the topic. This briefing aimed to engage Members of Parliament and peers in a discussion about the lessons learned in addressing knife crime and to create a call to action for the government to prioritise effective strategies for reducing and preventing knife crime in the future. A forensic psychology team from the University of Nottingham Medical School, consisting of Professor Kevin Browne, Dr Elizabeth Paddock and Trainee Sandra Jareno-Ripoll presented the outcomes of an International Think Tank on Knife Crime and Youth Violence, which included a report with recommendations from the think tank and a systematic review of knife crime evidence.
Knife Crime is defined in British law as crime involving a knife or sharp object, such as carrying the weapon with intent to harm, or using it to threaten or hurt others. In 2018, knife crime reached a nine-year high with over 4500 recorded offenses committed by individuals under 18. Although this increase can be partially explained by better police practice at recording such crimes, self-report data has highlighted that a large proportion of knife carrying goes undetected and thus may be more common than is reflected in official statistics. In the United Kingdom, knife-related crimes have garnered significant attention as data indicated that the rise in youth involvement in such incidents did not align with an overall increase in youth offending, meaning that knife offending was disproportionately increasing in comparison to other youth violence (see HM government, 2018; McVie, 2010).
Over 15 years ago, the Met. police first declared a war on knife crime. Since then, goals to reduce knife crime have continued to be a focus for the police and the government. In 2021, the Home Office allocated over £130 million to address knife and violent crime. This funding supported various policing strategies including increased patrols, weapons sweeps, and stop and search as well as early intervention programs. These programs aimed to engage young people at critical moments, such as when they enter police custody or accident and emergency services, in order to steer them from future violence (HM Government, 2021). These projects aim to supplement existing police action as well as existing intervention programmes delivered by the Youth Justice Service following conviction (Phillips et al., 2022).
However, despite the significant time, manpower, and financial resources invested in combating knife-related offenses, the data does not indicate a consistent decrease in this type of crime (Gouga, 2021). Researchers have highlighted that there is a widespread lack of robust evaluations for knife crime interventions and programmes which makes it difficult to draw strong conclusions about what works to reduce knife crime. It is possible that the slow progression on reducing knife crime may have been impacted by the limited use of evidence-based approaches in the assessments and interventions used with knife offenders.
A team of researchers from the University of Nottingham (Browne et al, 2022) conducted a comprehensive review of existing research on knife crime. Their aim was to gather and analyse studies on knife offender characteristics and interventions. They employed a systematic review methodology, using specific keywords to identify relevant studies, which were then assessed for their relevance to the topic. This approach allowed them to synthesise the available evidence and create a comprehensive overview of what is currently known about knife crime.
After screening 1352 titles and abstracts, only 21 papers were identified that met the inclusion criteria. These consisted of 15 on offender characteristic studies and six intervention studies.
Findings suggested that knife crime may be associated with illicit drug use, exposure to any violence as a witness, victim or perpetrator and mental health problems.
Primary prevention strategies, such as stop and search, knife amnesties, media campaigns and curfews did not show a significant impact in reducing knife crime. By contrast, increasing offenders' access to tailored support regarding housing, education, and employment showed an impact in reducing weapon carrying. Further research is required in the area to support the reliability of outcomes.
The review found that knife offenders exhibit a considerable degree of diversity, indicating that there may be subtypes within this population. For instance, female perpetrators tended to commit offenses in domestic settings, whereas males were more likely to do so in community settings. Moreover, differences were observed between knife offenders who were affiliated with gangs and those who were not.
This review highlights the effectiveness of a customised, needs-based approach in reducing recidivism in knife-related offenses. However, due to the limited and diverse research on knife crime characteristics and interventions, making meaningful comparisons across studies is challenging. Despite these limitations, the research provides a much-needed insight into the existing evidence base and offers valuable guidance for future research and interventions.
As well as developing this review, the Centre for Forensic and Family Psychology at the University of Nottingham hosted an international Knife Crime Think tank. This Think tank brought together professionals from diverse backgrounds, such as UNICEF, who had experience in knife crime reduction. They summarised findings of their work so far and provided recommendations informed by their collective experience. These recommendations were later presented at a House of Commons briefing on Knife crime in November 2023.
The recommendations arising from this think tank comprised.
These recommendations were discussed at the Parliamentary briefing and were summarised into the following action points. These have been circulated to Police and Crime Commissioners. The intention is to incorporate these points into the manifestos for the upcoming elections.
Most importantly, findings from the systematic review and insights shared by professionals highlighted the absence of a clear evidence framework. Consequently, it was strongly advised that any initiatives aimed at addressing knife crime in our communities should prioritise dedicating sufficient time and resources to research and evaluation. This approach would enable the generation of findings that can inform ‘what works’ for tackling knife crime in our communities.
Sandra Jareno-Ripoll, Elizabeth Paddock and Kevin Browne
Centre for Forensic and Family Psychology, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham
References
[1] Browne, K. D., Green, K., Jareno-Ripoll, S. and Paddock, L. (2022). ‘Knife crime offender characteristics and interventions’ Aggression and Violent Behavior, 67, (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2022.101774.
[2] Gouga, G. (2021). Gen Z is not alone: Generation knife crime and the covid-19 epidemic crisis. Journal of Sociology and Social Work, 9(2), 13-19. http://dx.doi.org/10.15640/jssw.v9n2a2
[3] HM Government (2021) £130.5 million to tackle serious violence, murder and knife crime https://www.gov.uk/government/news/1305-million-to-tackle-serious-violence-murder-and-knife-crime
[4] HM Government. (2018). Serious violence strategy. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/serious-violence-strategy.
[5] McVie, S. (2010). Gang membership and knife carrying: Findings from the Edinburgh study of youth transitions and crime. Scottish Government Social Research. https://www.sccjr.ac.uk/publication/gang-membership-and-knife-carrying-findings-from-the-edinburgh-study-of-youth-transitions-and-crime/.
[6] Phillips, Whitfield, Hamilton, de Hoog and Coleman (2022) Promising approaches to knife crime: an exploratory study. HM Inspectorate of Probation. https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprobation/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/05/RAB-2022-03-Promising-approaches-to-knife-crime-v1.1.pdf
