Crime and Policing Minister Sarah Jones welcomed new figures revealing a 10% drop in knife crime in 2025, but said this must translate to lasting change
Labour’s policing minister has hailed a 10% drop in knife crime reports in a year as new data shows a drop in homicides in England and Wales.
Figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) also reveal that reports of shoplifting had fallen slightly after soaring to record levels.
In the 12 months to December 2025, there were 49,151 offences involving a blade, down from 54,548 the year before. And homicides fell by 6% to 503 in England and Wales over that time.
Robberies using knives also fell, but Ms Jones said the Home Office will be pushing to turn this into lasting change. Labour pledged to halve knife crime within a decade when it came to power in 2024.
There were green shoots too on the shop theft epidemic after years of sustained rises. The number of reported cases dropped by 1% – but there were still nearly 510,000 in just 12 months.
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However the overall charge rate for shoplifting suspects rose by 17%, separate Home Office data revealed – a move officials say is due to increased town centre patrols.
Killings using knives dropped by 21% to 172, while the homicide rate fell to 8.1 per million people, down from 8.9 in 2024. Total knife offences are 11% lower than they were in 2020, ONS experts found.
Crime and Policing Minister Sarah Jones told The Mirror: “This Government has a clear ambition to halve knife crime over the next decade, and today’s figures show that progress is well underway. Knife-related homicides continue to fall, dropping by 27% since the start of this Parliament.
“Knife‑enabled offences are down by 10% in the last year – this means almost 5,400 fewer of these traumatising offences and the lowest since 2021.”
The data showed robberies using knives have falled by 15%, which Ms Jones said was a result of a new Knife‑Enabled Robbery Taskforce, which is targeting hotspots.
She went on: “These statistics are very positive, but we recognise this is only the start and this progress needs to become lasting change.”
Earlier this month the Government unveiled its strategy to tackle knife crime. Measures include ploughing £26million into a Knife Crime Concentrations Fund – supporting 27 police forces whose areas account for 90% of knife crime in England and Wales.
And 250 schools in hotspots will be given specialist training and support to keep kids safe. There will also be 50 Young Futures Hubs in worst-affected areas by the end of the current Parliament, the Government promised.
These will provide vital support and safe spaces for under-18s. The policing minister said these are aimed at stopping young people from turning to a life of crime, stating: “Together with our proposed police reforms will help officers respond faster, work more effectively and stay focused on keeping people safe, we are tackling the causes of violence as well as the crime itself.
“There is more to do, but it is clear progress is underway.” The ONS figures showed an 11% decrease in thefts – with domestic burglary dropping by 22% and vehicle theft down by 14%. There were an estimated 4.4million fraud cases, up from 4.1million in 2024.
Statisticians estimate that the overall number of serious crimes was 9.6million, which was no significant change from 2024’s figure.