The Home Office announced the creation of the National Knife Crime Centre, a key component of the government's ambition to halve knife crime within a decade. The centre will coordinate efforts across policing, government, and communities, according to multiple reports.
The new knife crime strategy includes the use of mapping technology to identify hotspots, live facial recognition cameras, knife arches, and increased neighbourhood patrols. The government is also ploughing £26 million into a Knife Crime Concentrations Fund supporting 27 police forces, according to multiple reports.
My heart was shattered the day my son Dwayne was taken from me through knife crime. That pain never leaves you but I made a decision to turn that pain into power.
Official figures show progress in reducing knife crime. There were 49,151 knife offences in the 12 months to December 2025, down from 54,548 the year before, according to major media reports. Homicides fell by 6% to 503 in England and Wales over the same period. Knife-related homicides dropped by 27% since the start of this Parliament, according to Crime and Policing Minister Sarah Jones. Robberies using knives fell by 15%, and total knife offences are 11% lower than in 2020. Over 63,000 blades have been removed from circulation since the 2024 general election, according to major media reports.
The strategy builds on Ronan's Law, which made it illegal to sell, make or import ninja swords to the UK. The law was named after Ronan Kanda, who was fatally stabbed with a 20-inch ninja sword in Wolverhampton in June 2022. His mother, Pooja Kanda, who received an OBE for her anti-knife crime crusade, welcomed the new centre. According to Daily Mirror - Main, she described the launch as a significant and necessary step forward, adding that gaps in systems and the accessibility of dangerous weapons have put young lives at risk. She said the centre is an opportunity to bring policing, government, and communities together to drive real, lasting change.
Knife crime does not start with a weapon. It starts with unmet needs, pain, lack of guidance, lack of opportunity, and sometimes a lack of love. Youth clubs directly address these root causes and interrupt the pathway to violence, including knife crime, by offering a positive alternative.
The government is also putting over 3,000 additional police officers and PCSOs into neighbourhood roles in less than a year, according to major media reports. In hotspot areas, 250 schools will receive specialist training and support, and 50 Young Futures Hubs will be created in the worst-affected areas by the end of the current Parliament, according to multiple reports.
Broader crime trends show shoplifting reports fell by 1% but still nearly 510,000 cases in 12 months, while the charge rate for shoplifting suspects rose by 17%, according to major media reports.
I think of Tracy, who came through our doors at just 17 years old. She was a victim of county lines exploitation, frightened and hurting. When she arrived at Dwaynamics Boxing Gym, she was carrying trauma no child should carry. She told us a close friend had just been stabbed and killed and she feared she would b
The human cost of knife crime was highlighted by the story of Dwayne Simpson, who was killed in 2014 when he stepped in after seeing a friend being chased by a man with a knife. His mother, Pastor Lorraine Jones Burrell, told Daily Mirror - Politics that knife crime does not start with a weapon but with unmet needs, pain, lack of guidance, and lack of opportunity. She said youth clubs address these root causes and interrupt the pathway to violence.