- Warnings instead of charges: First-time knife possession offenders are given warnings and referred to support services, rather than being prosecuted.
- Restorative justice: Offenders meet with victims or community members to understand the impact of their actions and make amends.
3. Long-Term Commitment
The public health approach was sustained over 15 years with cross-party political support and consistent funding. This allowed interventions to be refined and scaled up, and for cultural change to take root.
4. Community Engagement
The VRU worked with community leaders, former gang members, and young people themselves to design interventions that were credible and effective. This bottom-up approach built trust and ensured programmes were relevant to the communities they served.
The Challenges Ahead
Despite the success of Scotland's approach, replicating it in England and Wales faces challenges:
- Scale: Scotland has a population of 5.5 million, compared to 60 million in England and Wales. Scaling up the public health approach would require significant investment and coordination.
- Political will: The public health approach requires long-term commitment and cross-party support, which is difficult to sustain in a polarised political environment.
- Funding: Youth services, early intervention programmes, and Violence Reduction Units are all underfunded. Without sustained investment, they cannot deliver the results seen in Scotland.
The Bottom Line
Knife crime offences in England and Wales reached 50,500 in 2024, up 82% since 2014. The rise is driven by police cuts, gang activity, social media disputes, and a culture of fear in which young people carry knives for protection. The government has introduced tougher sentences, Violence Reduction Units, and restrictions on knife sales, but knife crime continues to rise. Scotland reduced knife crime by 70% using a public health approach focused on early intervention, diversion, and community engagement, sustained over 15 years. Replicating this success in England and Wales will require long-term investment in youth services, early intervention, and a shift from enforcement to prevention—but political will and funding remain major obstacles.
Key takeaways
- Knife crime offences in England and Wales reached 50,500 in 2024, up 82% since 2014
- London accounts for 35% of all knife crime, with Birmingham, Manchester, and Liverpool also major hotspots
- The number of under-18s convicted of knife possession has doubled since 2015, from 1,200 to 2,400 per year
- Police numbers fell by 20,000 between 2010 and 2018, reducing visible patrols and community policing that deter knife carrying
- Scotland reduced knife crime by 70% using a public health approach focused on early intervention and violence reduction units
Sources
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