The number of teenagers being stabbed to death has more than doubled in the past decade.
Figures show 51 youngsters were killed by a “bladed article” in 2021 to 2022. This compares with 21 who died through a knife attack in 2011 to 2012 – a staggering rise of 142 per cent.
The Office for National Statistics data reveals 28 young people were killed in 2016 to 2017, but this had increased to 45 in 2018 to 2019. This escalation in knife crime involving teenagers has raised fears the authorities have lost their grip on the problem.
And it comes just days after Elianne Andam, 15, was killed with a machete as she made her way to school in Croydon last week. A 17-year-old boy has been charged with her murder. It has led to calls for a ban on anyone owning the weapon or a zombie knife without a licence, even in the home.
Former undercover Met detective Peter Bleksley is now calling for real action, instead of just words from those in power.
The crime author and TV consultant said: “The Government has lost its grip on knife crime and we have heard it all before that something will be done.
“In 2015, legislation was passed that said for a second knife offence there would be a sentence of between six months and four years – and that has not been adhered to. Only last week a man in Manchester, who was convicted of stabbing somebody twice and had a previous conviction for robbery using a bladed instrument, got an 18-month community order.”
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has also been criticised for failing to clamp down on knife crime in the capital, where 15 teens have been fatally stabbed this year. And official figures also show the age of victims is falling.
In 2021-22, 37 of those killed were 17 or under, compared with 24 in 2018-19.
“The increase in knife carrying over the last decade has led to teenage boys being stabbed, killed and exploited by criminal gangs linked to drugs,” said Donna Jones, chair of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners.
“The scourge on society from knife carrying has caused an epidemic of drug-linked crime. Knives such as machetes and zombie knives need to be outlawed, making it illegal to be in possession of one of these weapons in your home.
“Those that do have just cause to own one should need to have a licence, the same as guns. The Home Office carried out a consultation on stricter knife laws earlier this year which I fully supported.”
She added: “We need to send a clear message that there is no place in Britain for these dangerous weapons.”
Her words were echoed by Commander Stephen Clayman, National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for knife-enabled crime.
He said: “Every day, officers see first-hand the devastating effects of these deadly weapons on the lives of individuals, particularly young people.
“There is some great work taking place in forces to tackle knife crime, and Operation Sceptre week in November is an opportunity to highlight and showcase the difference this work is making.
“Almost 10,000 knives were taken off the street during the national operation earlier this year.”
A Home Office spokeswoman said: “Knife crime tears families apart and we are committed to addressing the root causes of this violence.
“Last year our Violence Reduction Units reached over 215,000 vulnerable young people, and through our investment in the Youth Endowment Fund, 117,000 have been supported to escape violence since 2019.
“We are also strengthening enforcement by banning the zombie-style knives and giving the police more powers.”
