Living Ethics Journal

By Vedh Ramesh.

Between April of 2021 and March of 2022, ONS¹ statistics revealed that roughly 48,200 offences involving “a knife or sharp instrument” were reported, and during that same time span, 261 homicides utilizing those tools were reported, meaning that 43.9% of all homicides during that time period were committed using these instruments.² “Knife Crime”, as it has been dubbed, disproportionately affects younger persons: from April of 2022 to March of 2023, ~3400 cautions and convictions were made for possession of a knife or offensive weapon in which a minor was the offender.² These crimes are not victimless or confined to homicides; from April of 2022 to March of 2023, the NHS reported 3,775 “‘hospital episodes’… due to assault by a sharp object”,^{2, 3} and having rampant knife crime places a strain on the NHS, which is already burdened by a potentially 8 million member waiting list by August of 2024.⁴ This diverts resources necessary for treating Britain’s ageing population, which per the ONS¹ is 18.6% of the UK’s population (aged 65 or over⁵). 

One potential approach to solve this problem is to work with local schools and youth programs. Principally, this centers around improving behavioral standards at urban schools where youth crime is prevalent. This is not limited to schools; setting up recreational facilities and local volunteering programs would not only allow teens an outlet, but it would also enable them to productively contribute to their community. Integrating anti-knife crime education in schools located in crime-prone areas can also assist in combating this issue. In terms of funding, a program like this will pay for itself in the long run through various means, such as the reduction in the burden of the NHS, the contribution to the economy that the employment and volunteering programs will do, and the money saved through the judicial process of summoning these teens to court as well as sentencing them—all of that money is saved.

Additionally, improving employment opportunities can also assist in alleviating this problem. Per the University of Birmingham, “[a] 1% increase in unemployment in the past year increases knife crime by 0.1-0.2%. In terms of numbers, a rise in unemployment levels from a low of 3% to a high of 6% could lead to between 2000-4000 more knife crime incidents yearly.”⁸ In terms of youth programs, there are a plethora of options to choose from—UK Youth, for example, has programs like Hatch and Building Connections, both ones that can be used to connect with poverty-stricken urban areas.⁹

Another approach would be to strengthen local police forces. Notably, former Home Secretary Suella Braverman has committed to increasing the size of the British Police Force (England and Wales, under the jurisdiction of the Home Office) by an additional 20,000.¹⁰ By emphasizing stricter consequences, we can create a strong deterrence effect, reducing the amount of youth crime in urban areas. Per the University of Birmingham, “[p]ast crime is the primary predictor of future crime. We find that a 1% change in crime rate in a year is associated with a 0.7-0.8% increase in the following year, showing a high degree of persistence.”⁸ By implementing this approach, the rate of youth crime in urban areas should decrease substantially, helping the youth of Britain avoid a culture of gang violence and assisting them in escaping poverty. 

Sources:

1: Office of National Statistics

2: Allen, Grahame, et al. By Grahame Allen, and Wales – Research Briefings Files, Parliament UK, House of Commons Library, 13 Oct. 2023, researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN04304/SN04304.pdf. 

3: “Hospital Admitted Patient Care Activity, 2022-23.” NHS Choices, NHS, 21 Sept. 2023, digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/hospital-admitted-patient-care-activity/2022-23. 

4: “NHS Waiting List to Peak at More than 8 Million by Summer 2024.” The Health Foundation, 27 Oct. 2023, http://www.health.org.uk/news-and-comment/news/nhs-waiting-list-to-peak-at-more-than-8-million-by-summer-2024. 

5: (Demography), Angele Storey. “Voices of Our Ageing Population: Living Longer Lives.” Voices of Our Ageing Population – Office for National Statistics, Office for National Statistics, 2 Nov. 2022, http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/ageing/articles/voicesofourageingpopulation/livinglongerlives. 

6: Schools, http://www.conservatives.com/our-plan/schools. Accessed 4 Jan. 2024. 

7: Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills

8: Knife Crime across Police Force Areas – University of Birmingham, June 2019, http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/Documents/college-social-sciences/business/responsible-future/knife-crime.pdf. 

9: “Programmes.” UK Youth, 15 May 2023, http://www.ukyouth.org/what-we-do/programmes/. 

10: Braverman, Suella. “Our Plan for Law and Order.” Our Plan for Law and Order, Conservative Party UK, 4 Oct. 2022, http://www.conservatives.com/news/2022/our-plan-for-law-and-order. 

11: Helland, Eric, and Alexander Tabarrok. “Does Three Strikes Deter?” Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, 31 Mar. 2007, jhr.uwpress.org/content/XLII/2/309.