For about a decade, knife crimes have dominated headlines in the United Kingdom, so far without any truly effective solution. While the number of knife attacks and victims has stabilized, both remain at worrying levels. According to data compiled by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), police forces in England and Wales recorded 50,000 knife attacks between March 2023 and March 2024 – a 50% jump compared to March 2010-March 2011, and a 4.4% rise over the period from March 2022 to March 2023. Knives were used in 41% of the 594 homicides committed in England and Wales between March 2022 and March 2023; roughly four people died each week from knife wounds.

The age of both victims and perpetrators has caused the greatest shock each time a teenager has died from their injuries. According to the ONS, between 2023 and 2024, 53 young people aged 13 to 19 died as a result of knife attacks (making up 83% of youth homicides) in England and Wales. Among the first victims this year was Harvey Willgoose, age 15, who was killed in February at his school, All Saints Catholic High School, in Sheffield, northern England.

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