New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) indicate that teenagers in England and Wales are more likely to be stabbed to death than any other age group. Of the 64 homicide victims aged between 13 and 19 in 2023-24, 53 were killed with a sharp instrument, making up 83% of teen victims. This figure is significantly higher than the proportion of knife homicides for all age groups, which was 46% for the same period. While the ONS data only covers the 12 months to March 2024 and does not include knife homicides which have occurred since, this trend has increased, compared with the 56% of teenage homicides involving a bladed article in 2013-14.
Last year, the British government pledged to cut knife crime in half within a decade; as part of this, zombie-style knives were banned in England and Wales in September 2024, making it an imprisonable offence to own, make, transport or sell them. Despite this move, a BBC investigation later found that zombie knives and machetes were still available to purchase online. In line with these efforts to reduce knife crime, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is reportedly considering a ban on kitchen knives with a pointed end as part of the government’s forthcoming crackdown, as well as aiming to bring in tougher measures surrounding the online sale of knives to under-18s.
Of the 262 recorded knife homicides in 2023-24 for all age groups, 40 were aged under 18, and male victims were more likely to be stabbed to death than females, making up 50% and 35% of victims respectively. The data also showed that in homicides involving a bladed article in this period, the type of weapon used were: a kitchen knife (42%), an unidentified sharp instrument (17%), a machete (7%), and a combat or military-style knife (5%).
Actor Idris Elba, who has produced a BBC documentary on solutions to knife crime, recently commented that while banning the sale of blades like zombie-style knives is positive, early intervention is also needed. Elba maintains that domestic knives could be made less dangerous, suggesting that not all kitchen knives need to have a pointed end, a notion also being considered by the government’s Home Secretary. While homicide is defined as the killing of another person, murder refers explicitly to an unlawful killing with intent
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