Thousands of "hyper-prolific" criminals have avoided jail with a new damning report revealing how many were spared prison time.

Policy Exchange exposed that a knife crime epidemic has engulfed London, with an increase of 58.5 per cent between 2021 and 2024.

For "hyper-prolific offenders", those with 46 or more convictions, 4,555 criminals walks free from court in 2024.

For those with 26 to 45 previous offences, 9,483 criminals walked free despite there being a "mandatory" sentencing provisions for repeat knife-carriers to be sent to prison.

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Knife crime has increased by 58.6 per cent between 2021 and 2024

In 2024, one small area of around 20 streets in London's West near Oxford Circus and Regent Street had more knife crime than nearly 15 per cent of the rest of the capital combined.

Only one in 20 robbers and one in 170 thefts were solved last year, as crime escalates in the capital.

The report from Policy Exchange's head of crime and former Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Inspector David Spencer refutes the suggestion that stop and search is being used racially.

It notes that while only 39.5 per cent of those stopped and searched by the police are black, 43.6 per cent of those charged with murder are black, 45.6 per cent of non-domestic knife-crime murder victims are black, and 48.6 per cent of robbery suspects are black.

This differentiates to just 13.5 per cent of London's population being black, meaning the police are barely responding to the demographic breakdown of violent crime in London.

The number of stops and searches decreased by 56.4 per cent under the leadership of Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan.

In January, Reform UK tabled a cross-party resolution to tackle London's knife crime crisis, proposing the hiring of 1,000 new specialist police officers.

Khan dismissed the proposal, saying: "As a rule of thumb, I never encourage anyone to work with Reform."

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Sadiq Khan has come under pressure over knife crime in London

Multiple MPs have endorsed the report, including Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp, who called it "excellent".

Philp said: "[It] is a sobering examination of the rise in knife crime, robbery and theft offences in London. The analysis lays bare the scale of the challenge for police chiefs and policy makers alike. But this report is not a counsel of despair - it is a call to action.

"The 'zero-tolerance' approach advocated within this report is one that I support - it will closely inform my policy thinking in this area. Implementation of a 'zero-tolerance' approach to crime requires a combination of clear policy, political will and savvy operational policing."

Labour MP and former Met Police Inspector Jonathan Hinder called the British justice system "utterly broken" and politicians need to "properly resource our courts and prisons".

Hinder said: "The law-abiding public wants a strong police force to have the confidence to take on criminals, and it's time for politicians of all colours to give the police their full backing to do just that."