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July 2008 - Statistics, Statistics, Statistics
Its that time of year again when the definitive review of crime in
the UK is published in the form of the "British Crime Survey"
(BCS) and the separate "Police Recorded Crime Statistics" (PRCS).
Do the results help? - well frankly, not a lot, as the results are as
wildly incompatible as those of previous years. Take knife crime
for example; based on the PRCS report, around 22,000 incidents were
recorded, however based on the BCS survey, the figure is estimated at
around 130,000 incidents ...a variation of a mere 108,000 between the
two results!
Inevitably, both figures are inaccurate, as it is widely recognised
that there are shortcomings with the compilation of both sets of
figures, i.e.;
PRCS; many incidents are simply never reported to the
police (some estimate that as many as 4 out of every 5 incidents go
unreported), and are therefore not included in the reported crime
statistics.
BCS; these figures are derived from questioning a
representative sample of UK residents (around 47,000 people were
interviewed for the latest survey), and then extrapolating the findings
to a population of around 60 million residents! Given that most knife
crime occurs in definable inner city areas, there must be enormous scope
for error when using an up-scaling factor of around 1,200 : 1, ...in
addition to which, no one under the age of 16 was interviewed, even
though it is recognised that many knife incidents involve youths in
their very early teens!
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Here are just some of the best value products which are
currently helping schools
and the police on our streets to tackle the knife issue:
(click on the blue text below for
full details)
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News Flash - 26th March 2008
Mandatory 5 year Sentence for gun crime ignored by judges.
The Chief Constable of Merseyside has spoken out against the failure
of the Judiciary to impose the mandatory 60 month sentence for Gun
Crime
- sentences handed out over the last 12 months average just 47 months (and
that's before parole, early release of prisoners because of prison
overcrowding, etc.)
Are the government really committed to tackling
violent crime?
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Gun crime carries a mandatory 60 month prison sentence
- why is it not applied?
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there is no place for items like this
on our streets!
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When we first added this Web page to our site in 2006, the intention
was to present the "Facts" about the apparently growing
problem of knife crime in the UK, without sensationalising the issues as
is often the case with news reportage.
Over the last two years, we have spoken with many
dedicated and wonderful people and voluntary groups,
working hard within their local communities to tackle the
problem. Such efforts have often been undertaken without official funding or much in the way
of practical support from the government, but hopefully
when the governments Violent Crime Action Plan is
published, things will change.
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How is 2008 shaping up for
knife crime?
- well the first fatal stabbing in 2008 occurred
just hours into the new year! ..with at least three
more fatal stabbings in the UK being reported in the
first week.
In 2007, there were 27 teenagers
stabbed to death in London alone
...in the first 10 weeks
of 2008 there have been 9 fatal stabbings in
London... |
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The many recent high profile
fatal stabbings that have dominated the media, have raised
public awareness of the UK' s growing knife culture
Most people seem to agree with the government, police and other law enforcement agencies, that it's time to act to stamp out
the growing menace of knife crime.
Which is why initiatives such as "Operation Blunt" (Metropolitan Police) and
"Operation Shield" (British Transport Police) are generally
welcomed
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| some knives collected during an
amnesty! |
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Is knife crime in the UK on the increase?
- a brief update Since this page was originally
produced in June 06, it seems that hardly a week has gone by
without at least one high profile stabbing being
reported in the press or on the national news. In
producing the original page, our intention was simply to draw
attention to the apparently growing issue of knife crime,
although, to be honest, we have been somewhat astounded by the
number of visitors that the web page has attracted, and the
positive feedback received. Newsflash
28th October 2007 - Channel 5 news; Figures
obtained under the freedom of information act show that there
is a knife crime committed in the UK every 24 minutes! -
in fact the figures show that there have been 5,500 serious
knife crimes in the UK in just 3 months. So,
some 12 months or so on from the original posting on this
site,
how do things look now? Frankly, just as confused
...in March 2007 following the fatal stabbing of Adam Regis
(and 4 other fatal stabbings within the previous week), the
then Home Secretary Mr John Reid finally admitted that we
don't know enough about knife crime, and ordered police forces
to start collecting statistics on the use of knives in crime,
as the Government does not know enough about the scale of
knife violence! This must be viewed as a positive step (if
somewhat late in the day), as current statistics are simply
unreliable. As an example, based on one survey, a
worst case projection indicates that 60,000 young people (predominantly
male) may be stabbed and injured in the UK each year, whilst a
rather more conservative estimate could be 22,000. The discrepancy in
the two figures should not really be surprising as the figures
were derived from the questioning of around 600 under 25 year
olds, who were asked whether they had been knifed or stabbed,
and then extrapolated to provide a "National
Statistic" (Governments Offending, Crime and Justice
Survey - OCJS). Whatever the actual numbers, it is clear
that the persons most likely to be at risk from knife violence
are; young, black or Asian males, living in high crime inner city
areas, ...but as is all too evident from the events of the
last year, young or old, ordinary citizens, solicitors, police
officers, etc., no one is exempt! Hard facts - The
murder of 14 year old Paul Erhahon on 6th April 2007 was
reported as the 7th under 16 year old to be murdered in London
in 2 months (and that's just London). During March, 30 year
old Kevin Platt and at least two other youths were fatally
stabbed in separate incidents in Manchester, whilst the string
of reported deaths and stabbings have continued throughout
April and into May. The most recently reported deaths (as @
20th May 07), being the fatal stabbing in Sunderland of 22
year old Kevin Johnson and in a separate incident in
Sunderland on the same night, the non fatal stabbing in the
chest of another male. |
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The Issues, Statistics
and General Information relating to Knife Crime Few would argue that anyone has a need to carry
on the
streets of Britain, the sort of lethal weapons pictured above,
and it's illegal to do so (generally speaking, the
carrying of any knife other than a folding pocket
knife with a blade length of less than 3" is illegal in
the UK). Below we have attempted to provide an
overview of the current state of affairs regarding knife
culture in Britain, related crime statistics and the practical
measures which are being taken to improve the situation and
make our streets safer. The information is presented in good
faith and believed to be accurate. As explained below however
(see information sources), the often conflicting nature of official statistics,
etc. means that some interpretation and filtering of published
information has been necessary. |
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Section index;
Statistics - about the
sources
Statistics - some specifics / the numbers
Who is at risk
Public perceptions
Tackling the problem -
current initiatives / and some suggestions
Information sources / interpretation
Metal Detectors / Body
Scanners and other technology aids
Tips on knife safety
Legislation
relating to Weapons / Knives / etc
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Related Articles; |
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The two main government sponsored sources of annual crime statistics for
England and Wales are;-
"RECORDED CRIME STATISTICS" (crimes recorded by the
Police)
"BRITISH CRIME SURVEY" (crimes as experienced by a
representative group of people surveyed)
Because of the way that they are compiled, these two sets of statistics
often conflict, with each showing different trends. Whilst they offer the
best guide available to the public, neither set of statistics is perfect. For
example, the latest reports are in direct conflict over the key issue of
violent crime, the British Crime Survey indicates violent crime to
be down 11% on the previous year, whereas the Recorded Crime Statistics
reflect a 7% increase!
RECORDED CRIME STATISTICS - it is
generally accepted that in any year, a high percentage of crimes are simply not
reported to the police for a variety of reasons. Government guidelines
also mean that not all incidents reported to the police, need to be
recorded for statistical purposes.
BRITISH CRIME SURVEY - These statistics are based on the experiences of what is hoped to
be a typically representative group of the population - however the
current number of people surveyed is 40,000 per year, which is obviously a
small number considered against a total population of around 60 million.
A further complication is that the basis of both sets of statistics have changed over recent years,
i.e. until 2002, the survey group size for the British Crime Survey, was just a miniscule 20,000
people, but this has now been increased to 40,000. Police guidelines have also
changed, meaning that some crimes not previously recorded, now are, whilst
others have been reclassified and are now recorded separately, etc.
Such changes, make it almost impossible to realistically track longer term
trends from the previously published information. It must also be
recognised that inevitably, by the time that the official statistics have
been compiled, checked and published they are already some 18 months or so
out of date.
Note; other sources of information drawn on to prepare this
page, include youth surveys, Mori polls, media such as BBC News and the
national press, etc. Such surveys are typically based on relatively small
numbers of respondents (i.e. youth survey; 5,000 teenagers between ages 11
& 16 polled), whilst press and media frequently focus on a single or
limited group of incidents at any time. For further information, simply
going to a search engine such as 'google' and using search phrases
such as 'knife culture in Britain', 'Knife crime' or similar search terms
will generate hundreds of thousands of pages to sift through so you can
easily keep yourself up to date.
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Incidents of Violent Crime |
2,715,000 |
British Crime Survey
(RCS figures 1,000,000+) |
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- Violent Crime - involving use of weapons |
almost 75% |
Recorded Crime Statistics |
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- Violent Crime - Wounding |
38% |
Recorded Crime Statistics
(BCS indicate 25%) |
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- Violent Crime - Serious Wounding |
2% |
Recorded Crime Statistics
(BCS - no info) |
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- Violent Crime - fatalities |
0.1% |
Recorded Crime Statistics
(BCS - no info) |
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Homicides
(incl. murder / manslaughter / infanticides) |
1,045 |
Recorded Crime Statistics |
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- Homicides with sharp implement |
27% |
Recorded Crime Statistics |
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- Homicides with guns |
8% |
Recorded Crime Statistics |
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- Homicides increase since 1965 |
more than tripled |
Recorded Crime Statistics |
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Incidents involving edged weapon attacks (London
Only) |
54,000+ |
British National Martial Arts Association |
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Firearm incidents involving violence |
7,133 |
Recorded Crime Statistics |
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Statistics re. Youths Carrying Knives:-
(note: the figures below do not necessarily reflect youths carrying
knives every day) |
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- 11-12 year olds carrying knives last year |
10% |
Youth at risk? |
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- 15-17 year olds admitting to carrying knives for
self defence |
46% |
Ian Johnston - Chief Constable British
Transport Police |
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- Pupils in London Schools carrying knives
(in many surveys, around 30-35% of pupils admit to carrying a knife
- but it should be stressed, that does not mean every day! However
misguidedly, many pupils only carry a knife when they feel they may
be particularly at risk) |
29% |
Youth Justice Board / Mori 2003 |
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- Excluded Pupils carrying knives |
62% |
Youth Justice Board / Mori 2003 |
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- 16 year old boys admitting attacking someone with
a knife - intent on causing serious injury |
1 in 5 |
Youth Justice Board / Mori 2003 |
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- teenage deaths from knife attack (2004) |
more than 20 |
Be Safe Project
www.besafeproject.org.uk |
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++++ Newsflash ++++
In London alone - over the May Bank Holiday weekend
(27-29th May 06) - Police recorded over 50 knife attacks |
more than 50 knife
attacks in London
during the weekend
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BBC National News |
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Many criminologists now believe that people carrying a knife is a
bigger threat than people carrying guns - this is based on a 60%
increase in recorded incidents of knife carrying during the 6 years
between 1999 - 2004
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60% increase in recorded knife
carrying incidents in just 6 years
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BBC National News |
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Who is at
risk / the impact of violence on the victim |
back to top of page |
As evidenced by recent fatalities, literally anyone could find
themselves a victim of knife crime, however the most at risk single
group are young males between the age of 14 and 24
In London
alone, from January to July 2007, there have been 17 teenagers
(including girls) fatally stabbed or shot to death. The problem is
however not confined to London, with cities such as Manchester,
Liverpool, etc. also frequently making the news for shootings and
stabbings. Recent high
profile cases of knife attack include; Stabbings During May
2006 alone
- A 19 year old man was stabbed to death on a train in Cumbria's
Lake District, by the 21 year old boyfriend of the girl he was
trying to help
- 14 year old boy stabbed (serious but not fatal) outside of school
- Birmingham - attackers believed to be from another school
- 15 year old boy stabbed (serious but not fatal) at Bexley - a 16
year old male arrested
- 15 year old Kiyan Prince stabbed to death outside of school in
North London - a 16 year old male arrested
- Nisha Patel-Nasri - Special Constable fatally stabbed outside her
home
Impact on the victims - Fatal stabbings obviously have a
dramatic impact on the victims, their family and friends, and often,
also the local community. Even where violent crime does not result
in death or serious injury, victims and family often suffer long
term trauma.
It is estimated that over 83% of
victims of violent crime experience trauma
(with over 24% experiencing serious trauma).
Normal reactions to such attacks include:
- Anger
- Shock
- Annoyance
- Fear
- Loss of confidence
- Feeling of vulnerability and victims are often left
wondering 'Why'
Impact on the emergency services - Police are routinely
issued with stab-proof vests, however in a worrying sign of the
times, Essex has now become the second authority in the country
(joining London) in issuing stab-proof vests to its paramedics |
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Public
perception |
back to top of page |
Recent high profile media coverage of such events has certainly
raised public consciousness regarding knife crime / culture in
Britain. Whatever the published statistics show, most people now
appear to feel (with some justification), that
knife crime is rapidly getting out of control, and that urgent tough
action is required to curb it before it gets totally out of hand.
Police
initiatives such as "Operation Blunt" or "Operation
Shield" seem to be genuinely welcomed by the public, whilst
initiatives such as knife amnesty's are viewed with more than a
little cynicism, and at best viewed as a means of publicising the
dangers of knife carrying. On the positive side, knife
amnesty's have at least contributed to taking thousands of weapons
out of circulation. It is however, obviously unrealistic to
expect to withdraw all knives from circulation, especially when
kitchen knives, gardening knives, etc, all feature in violent
attacks, and those surrendering knives, are of course likely to be
from the more law abiding element of the community. |
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Tackling the
problem - current initiatives / and some suggestions |
back to top of page |
Current initiatives include:
Legislation - a government
bill currently in the House of Lords features legislation to
prohibit the sale of knives to anyone under the age of 18 Knife
amnesty - these are designed to take knives off the street -
although in reality, it is the law abiding citizens rather than the
target groups which are more likely to surrender weapons. Police
Operations - such as operations Blunt and Shield involve the rapid
and random deployment of metal detectors in public places such as
stations, schools, etc. with strong police backup. The purpose being
to identify and arrest anyone carrying illegal weapons. Many
schools are already using or considering the use of metal detectors
to detect pupils carrying knives to school, or to deter them from
doing so.
Whilst the above activities are moves in the right direction,
much more needs to be done; - At present whilst the
law provides for the imprisonment for up to 2 years for anyone
illegally carrying a knife (up to 4 years if it's considered an
offensive weapon), yet the implementation of any prison sentence at
all appears almost non existent. Many people
support the action group run by the parents of Luke Walmsley (the
schoolboy who
was stabbed to death in 2003), in calling for a
mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years for carrying a knife. This
would put it on a par with the penalty for carrying a gun, and could
therefore be an effective deterrent. There are
however there are obvious practical implications for the
implementation of such measures, not least of which is that our
prisons are already at bursting point, - with judges calling for
fewer people to be imprisoned rather than more! Without doubt, education
has to be a key ingredient, if we are to effectively tackle the
current knife culture. The most at risk group are young
males, up to the age of 24 years. Whilst some youths carry
knives to make them 'feel big' or to 'earn respect' most young
people confess to carrying a knife for protection. Carrying
a knife is certainly not cool or manly, in fact anyone carrying a
knife to make them important in the eyes of their peers, is clearly
demonstrating just how inadequate they really feel. Carrying
a knife for self defence is equally misguided and significantly
increases the risk of violence against the carrier (and even the
risk of his/her own weapon being turned against them). Schools,
government information films, etc., can all assist in educating and
spreading the message -
but one thing is for sure, whatever their age, our children must be
made aware of the dangers of carrying weapons. And at
the end of the day, as parents we must also accept responsibility
and play a key role in educating our children, after all, whether
they are 4 or 24 they are precious and among the most important
things in our life. Whilst all of the above could help
to improve the situation, all attempts to tackle the issue can only
achieve real success in a government lead environment of ZERO
TOLERANCE and MEANINGFUL PENALTIES
- Zero Tolerance of sales of knives to the under 16 year olds
(the last time anyone was jailed for
selling a knife to an
under 16 year old was 9
years ago - in 1997!)
- Zero Tolerance of knives in schools
- Zero Tolerance of carrying knives on the street
- Zero Tolerance of the culture of violence |
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Information
sources / interpretation |
back to top of page |
In compiling the above information, we have
drawn on a range of sources of information, including official
government sponsored information web-sites, BBC newscasts, the
national press, etc.
and have also drawn input from bodies such as responsible
martial arts organisations.
Thanks to the out of date nature
of the statistics available (most
published statistics are at least 18 months out of date at
time of publication) and the often conflicting nature of
their content, we have of necessity been forced to apply some
level of interpretation. Overall however, we believe that the
information as presented, and when taken in context with the various
added notes, is a reasonable indication of the current state
of affairs. |
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Tips
on Knife Safety |
back to top of page |
The following tips are offered courtesy of "Be
Safe", a project which helps kids deal with Knife Crime:
- If you are confronted with a knife or somebody approaches you and
you think there's a chance they could be carrying a knife, walk
away
- DON'T think that you can talk to them and persuade them not to use it -
DON'T think that you can reason or negotiate with them, just walk away
and tell an adult - If you suspect that anyone you know is carrying a knife then it is
important to tell a trusted adult, whether it be the
police, a parent or a teacher - It's illegal for anyone under 16 to carry a knife, so DON'T be
tempted to carry one even if you think you need it to protect
yourself - If you're being bullied or are feeling threatened by people who you
think may be carrying knives, DON'T be tempted to carry
one yourself, just tell an adult your concerns about these
people - Most children who carry knives do it because they are scared. This is NOT a good
option. If there are any people and places that scare you, it is
best to avoid them completely |
Be Safe Project
www.besafeproject.org.uk |
Legislation -
with some bearing on knife crime |
back to top of page |
The law as it relates to people who carry knives is very
complicated, and it is not always instantly clear what is legal and
what is not, as in some instances, circumstances can have a direct
bearing on the legality.
Generally speaking, knives where
the blade folds into the handle, like the Swiss Army Knife, are not
illegal, provided the blade is less than 3" (7.62cm) in length
...if however someone uses such a knife in a threatening way - then
it may become illegal! Some types of knife are ALWAYS ILLEGAL:
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Flick Knives
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Butterfly Knives
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Disguised Knives
Relevant key legislation includes:
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Violent Crime Reduction Act (2006)
- Banned the sale of knives to the under 18 year olds
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Knives Act (1997)
- Prohibited the sale of combat knives
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Offensive Weapons Act (1996)
- Prohibited the sale of knives to the under 16 year
olds
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Criminal Justice Act (1988)
- Published a list of prohibited martial arts style
weapons and made it an offence to carry an article with a blade or
sharp point in a public place
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Restriction of Offensive Weapons Act (1959)
- banned the carrying, manufacture, sale, purchase,
hire or lending of flick-knives and "gravity knives"
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Prevention of Crime Act (1953)
- made it an offence to have an offensive weapon in a
public place: including any article made or adapted for use for
causing injury to any person
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Metal
Detectors / Body Scanners |
back to top of page |
Metal detectors come in various types and are a familiar site at
airports, major sporting events, football matches, concerts,
nightclubs and a host of other venues. Over recent years, they
have also been introduced to scan visitors entering public
buildings, art galleries and museums, etc.
They are capable of
quickly and easily identifying persons carrying concealed knives or
other weapons. Serious consideration is being given to the
widespread use of metal detectors in schools. Whilst their use has
already been adopted by some schools and colleges, their widespread
use is proving controversial. There are certainly those championing
their use in schools as an effective way of tackling knife culture,
yet many teachers, MPs, civil rights groups, etc, see them as some
form of threat. The debate looks set to continue for the
foreseeable future, however it is worth noting that use of metal
detectors in schools has been commonplace in the United States for
many years, albeit normally with security guards in attendance and
not just relying on teachers. |
link to
metal detector
product page |
Whilst Metal detectors can undoubtedly play a key role in deterring the carrying
of knives, other technology that can help includes CCTV systems.
Many
schools for instance have found that the introduction of CCTV has
lead to many improvements including some or all of the following;
- reduction in pupil (and parent / visitor) violence
- reduction in vandalism & graffiti
- reduction in pupils carrying drugs and
weapons to school
- reduction in theft
- general improvement in pupil behaviour |
link to
CCTV systems
product page |
If you have any views or comments on any of the
above, please e-mail; info@insight-security.com
(please enter "KNIFE CRIME" in the e-mail header bar), regrettably,
we can't guarantee you a reply, but we are always pleased to consider
including new and relevant information on our site that may be of help or
interest to others. If providing information that you think we should
include on our site, please also identify the source of the
information
Link to main website:
www.insight-security.com
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