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Knife crime refers to criminal activities involving the use of knives or bladed instruments, often resulting in violence and injury. Knife crime is a pressing issue in the [[United Kingdom]], with significant implications for public safety, law enforcement, and community well-being. This wiki page provides an overview of knife crime in the UK, its causes, consequences, and efforts to address this critical social concern.
	'''Knife crime''' is a common term for criminal offences involving knives, blades, sharply pointed articles, or similar weapons. In England and Wales it is not one single offence. It is a public and legal shorthand covering possession, threats, assaults, robberies, prohibited weapons, sales offences, and other conduct involving knives.

== Overview ==
Knife crime encompasses a range of offences, including carrying knives in public places, using knives to threaten or harm others, and fatal stabbings. The prevalence of knife crime has raised alarm and prompted discussions on the factors contributing to its occurrence.
	The legal position depends on the article, the place, the person's reason for having it, and how it is used.

== Causes and Factors ==
Several factors contribute to the occurrence of knife crime in the UK:
	== Main Legal Categories ==
	Knife-related cases often involve one or more of these categories:

# Social Deprivation: Areas with high levels of social deprivation often experience higher rates of knife crime. Limited access to education, employment opportunities, and social services can contribute to criminal behaviours.
# Gang Activity: Gang-related disputes and rivalries can lead to violent incidents involving knives. Young individuals may become involved in gangs and resort to violence as a means of asserting dominance or seeking protection.
# Youth Violence: Young people may become involved in knife crime due to peer pressure, a desire for status, or a lack of positive role models. Factors such as family instability and exposure to violence can contribute to their involvement.
# Drug Trade: The illegal drug trade is intertwined with knife crime, as disputes over drug territory can escalate into violence. Criminal organizations may use knives as tools of intimidation and control.
# Cultural and Socioeconomic Factors: Cultural influences and socioeconomic circumstances can shape attitudes towards violence and knife carrying. Some individuals may carry knives for perceived self-defence or status.
	* Having a bladed or sharply pointed article in a public place without good reason or lawful authority.
	* Having an offensive weapon in a public place without lawful authority or reasonable excuse.
	* Having a knife, bladed article, or offensive weapon on school or further education premises.
	* Threatening another person with a knife or offensive weapon.
	* Using a knife during another offence, such as robbery, assault, burglary, or criminal damage.
	* Possessing, selling, importing, manufacturing, or delivering prohibited weapons.
	* Selling or delivering knives or bladed products in breach of age and delivery controls.

== Consequences ==
Knife crime has severe consequences for individuals and communities:
	== Bladed Articles ==
	Section 139 of the [[Criminal Justice Act 1988]] covers articles with a blade or sharp point in a public place. The offence does not require proof that the person intended to use the article as a weapon.

# Loss of Life: Fatal stabbings and knife-related homicides result in the loss of lives and devastate families and communities.
# Injuries and Trauma: Survivors of knife attacks may suffer physical injuries, emotional trauma, and long-term psychological effects.
# Community Impact: High levels of knife crime can create an atmosphere of fear and mistrust within communities, affecting residents' well-being and quality of life.
# Pressure on Health Services: Treating knife-related injuries places strain on emergency medical services and hospitals.
	There is an exclusion for a folding pocket knife with a cutting edge of 3 inches or less, provided it is genuinely folding and non-locking. A lock knife is not treated as an ordinary folding pocket knife for this exclusion.

== Law and Enforcement ==
The UK government and law enforcement agencies are actively working to combat knife crime:
	The person may have a defence of good reason or lawful authority. Work, religious reasons, national costume, or transport for a lawful purpose may be relevant depending on the facts.

# Legislation: The [[Offensive Weapons Act 2019]] introduced measures to address the sale, possession, and distribution of offensive weapons, including knives.
# Stop and Search: Police officers have the authority to conduct stop-and-search operations to identify individuals carrying knives or other offensive weapons.
# Community Engagement: Police collaborate with communities to address the root causes of knife crime, prevent youth involvement, and raise awareness.
	== Offensive Weapons ==
	The [[Prevention of Crime Act 1953]] offence concerns offensive weapons in public places. A knife can be an offensive weapon if it is made, adapted, or intended for causing injury. Some knives are weapons by their nature. Other knives are ordinary tools or kitchen items unless the circumstances show they are being carried as weapons.

== Prevention and Intervention ==
Efforts to prevent and address knife crime include:
	This is why the same object can be lawful in one situation and criminal in another. A chef carrying knives directly to work is different from a person carrying a kitchen knife to a fight.

# Youth Programs: Community-based initiatives offer mentorship, education, and activities to divert young individuals away from criminal activities.
# School Programs: Educational programs raise awareness about the consequences of knife crime and equip students with conflict resolution skills.
# Early Intervention: Identifying and supporting at-risk individuals at an early stage can prevent their involvement in knife crime.
	== Threatening With a Knife ==
	Threatening offences are treated more seriously than simple possession because the conduct moves from risk to direct intimidation or danger. CPS guidance says prosecutors should consider charges that reflect threats where there is sufficient evidence, rather than charging only simple possession.

== Public Awareness and Campaigns ==
Public awareness campaigns raise awareness about the dangers of knife crime, promote reporting, and encourage individuals to seek help or support for themselves or others.
	Threatening with a weapon can also affect sentencing and minimum sentence provisions in some cases.

	== Schools and Further Education Premises ==
	Knife crime law gives special attention to school premises and further education premises. The Criminal Justice Act 1988, as amended, creates offences for having relevant bladed articles or offensive weapons in these settings, subject to statutory defences.

	The purpose is to treat weapons in educational settings as a distinct public-safety concern.

	== Prohibited Weapons ==
	Some knives and weapons are prohibited. The law may restrict manufacture, sale, hire, lending, importation, delivery, and possession in private. The precise list is set out through the Criminal Justice Act 1988 and statutory orders, as amended by later legislation.

	Examples can include flick knives, gravity knives, and other specifically listed weapons. The exact design and statutory definition matter.

	== Lawful Knives and Everyday Use ==
	Not every knife in public is knife crime. People lawfully use knives for work, fishing, camping, food preparation, hobbies, religious observance, and other legitimate reasons. The legal problem usually arises when the statutory exception does not apply, there is no good reason, the item is prohibited, or the facts show intent to use the item as a weapon.

	A small lawful folding pocket knife may be legal to possess in public, but it can still become evidence in another offence if used or carried for violence.

	== Practical Examples ==
	=== Tradesperson ===
	A tradesperson carries a utility knife, scraper, and other tools from a van to a job. The work context may provide a good reason.

	=== Night Out ===
	A person carries a kitchen knife into a town centre because they are worried about being attacked. That is likely to be treated very differently from a work tool.

	=== Pocket Knife ===
	A person carries a small folding non-locking pocket knife with a cutting edge under 3 inches. That may fall within the statutory exclusion from section 139, but it is not a licence to threaten or injure anyone.

	=== Robbery ===
	A person uses a knife to threaten a shop worker during a theft. The knife aggravates the criminality and may support robbery and weapons charges.

	== See Also ==
	* [[Bladed articles]]
	* [[Folding pocket knife]]
	* [[Offensive weapon]]
	* [[Possession of an Offensive Weapon]]
	* [[Criminal Justice Act 1988]]
	* [[Offensive Weapons Act 2019]]

	== References ==
	* [https://www.cps.gov.uk/prosecution-guidance/knife-and-other-weapons-offences Crown Prosecution Service: Knife and other weapons offences]
	* [https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/33/section/139 Criminal Justice Act 1988, section 139]
	* [https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/33/section/139A Criminal Justice Act 1988, section 139A]
	* [https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/33/section/139AA Criminal Justice Act 1988, section 139AA]
	* [https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Eliz2/1-2/14/section/1 Prevention of Crime Act 1953, section 1]
	* [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-offensive-weapons-act-2019/statutory-guidance-offensive-weapons-act-2019-accessible-version Home Office: Offensive Weapons Act 2019 statutory guidance]

	[[Category:Law]]
	[[Category:Criminal law]]
	[[Category:UK law]]