Writing for The Mirror, Crime and Policing Minister Sarah Jones said decisive action by the Home Office and police has led to a significant fall in knife robberies
When I became Policing Minister, I made a promise: to turn the tide on knife crime and make our streets safer. One year on, that promise is being delivered.
Knife crime is falling, lives are being saved, and communities are safer because of decisive action by the Home Office and the police.
This past year has been about more than words – it’s been about results. In the areas where most people have experienced the fear of being robbed at knife point, targeted enforcement and prevention have driven a dramatic turnaround.
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A group tasked with tackling knife robberies was launched in seven forces where those robberies were highest has helped cut these crimes by 15% since June 2024. That’s almost 2,500 fewer robberies – real progress compared to the rising trend before the group was created. Focused policing tactics, backed by data, are protecting communities and stopping violence before it happens.
Our County Lines Programme has also seen record results. These exploitative drug networks fuel knife crime, dragging many vulnerable young people into lives of crime, and we’ve dismantled thousands.
Since July 2024, more than 3,000 lines have been closed, over 8,200 arrests made – including 1,600 line holders charged – and around 1,000 knives seized. Behind these numbers are lives changed: over 4,300 vulnerable people referred for safeguarding and more than 600 children supported by the dedicated service we fund through Catch22.
These young people are escaping exploitation and building safer futures. The impact is clear. Hospital admissions for stabbings in areas in the areas where high supply volumes of Class A drugs are being exported from are down by a quarter – that’s 840 people.
Drug misuse hospitalisations have fallen sharply too. These aren’t just statistics; they represent families spared heartbreak and communities given hope. This progress hasn’t happened by accident. We’ve looked at what will work.
We’ve brought together the experts and we’ve crunched the numbers. Initiatives such as our knife surrender schemes gave people who wanted a way out or wanted to help others get away from a world of carrying knives a means to hand in their weapons.
Almost 60,000 knives were taken off our streets through these initiatives. Our innovative Hex mapping technology is pinpointing hyperlocal hotspots or serious knife crime, enabling smarter policing and targeted interventions with local partners.
Violence Reduction Units are working directly with families and schools to steer young people away from crime, while over 50 Young Futures Panel pilots are intervening earlier to protect those most at risk.
And we’ve listened to those most affected by these horrendous crimes too. Ronan’s Law – spearheaded by Pooja Kanda, whose son Ronan was horrifically stabbed to death in 2022, has increased penalties for offenders and protections for victims, sending a clear message: knife crime will not be tolerated.
Tougher age verification checks for online knife sales are closing loopholes that criminals exploit and we are also consulting on proposals for a licensing scheme to make it harder for criminals and young people to buy knives.
The fight against knife crime is far from over, but the past year proves what’s possible when government, police, and communities work together. Every knife surrendered, every County Line closed, every child safeguarded means lives saved and futures protected.
We’ve turned rising knife crime into falling knife crime—and we will not stop until serious violence is driven out of our communities and every young person has the chance of a safer future.