Tackling Knife Crime: Can the New Labour Government Succeed in Halving Knife Crime in a Decade?

Back to search results

Date of Event: Tuesday, October 29th 2024
Time of Event: 9:30 AM — 1:00 PM GMT
Place of Event: Webinar

Key Speakers

• Sharon Maciver, Operational Director for Criminal Exploitation at Action for Children
• Professor Lawrence Sherman, Wolfson Professor Emeritus of Criminology at the University of Cambridge & Chief Executive of Benchmark Cambridge
• Leisa Nichols-Drew, Associate Professor in Forensic Biology at De Montfort University (pre-recorded presentation)
• Sheldon Thomas, Chief Executive of Gangsline
• Dr Sue Roberts, Senior Lecturer in Public Administration at the University of Portsmouth
• Dr Charlotte Coleman & Jessica Scott-Lewis, Deputy Head of the Sheffield Institute of Social Sciences & Forensic Psychology PhD Researcher at Sheffield Hallam University
• Christopher D’Aguiar, Head of Safeguarding at Safer London (Event Chair)

The new Labour government pledged in its recent manifesto to halve knife crime in a decade. Government statistics show that despite total knife crime increasing 70% since 2015, nearly half of all knife possession cases recorded by police in 2023 led to no further action. Coupled with this, there are record and growing backlogs in the courts in England and Wales, with over 68,000 trials waiting to be heard as of April 2024.

Labour aim to “end the practice of empty warnings by ensuring knife carrying triggers rapid intervention and tough consequences”, with very young person caught in possession of a knife being referred to a Youth Offending Team and receiving a mandatory plan to prevent reoffending, with penalties including curfews, tagging, and custody for the most serious cases. To get knives off the streets, the government also proposes to ban ninja swords, lethal zombie-style blades and machetes, and strengthen rules to prevent online sales, with the executives of online companies that flout these rules being personally held to account through tough sanctions. As part of the new plans from the government, local prevention partnerships will identify young people who could be drawn into violence and intervene, with youth workers and mentors also being placed in A&E units and Pupil Referral Units with a view to offering young people a pathway out of violence. Labour also wish to introduce a new offence of criminal exploitation of children, so as to go after the gangs who lure young people into violence and crime.

In its manifesto, Labour argue that there are currently virtually no services for vulnerable teenagers at risk of being drawn into a life of violence. Claiming that under the Conservatives, too often when a teenager was found with a knife, nothing happened, with carrying a knife having become normalised under the last government, Labour have committed to intervening earlier to stop young people being drawn into crime, by creating a new Young Futures programme with a network of hubs reaching every community. These hubs, Labour propose, will have youth workers, mental health support workers, and careers advisers available to support young people’s mental health and avoid them being drawn into crime.

Critics point out that while everybody across criminal justice knows that the system needs a huge injection of cash, there is no sign of that injection coming, and establishing the range of services being proposed by Labour to support vulnerable young people will require significant investment.

This symposium will provide stakeholders, including from the police, NHS, schools, and local authorities, with the chance to examine the underlying causes of knife crime and how these should be addressed and to critically assess the new Labour government’s plans to halve knife crime. It will also offer delegates an opportunity to share best practice in confronting knife crime, and explore how practitioners from across the police service, education, health and third sector can improve collaboration and develop early intervention strategies to tackle knife crime.

Programme

• Understand the state of knife crime in the UK today, its drivers, and how these should be addressed
• Examine the new Labour government’s plans to halve knife crime in a decade, assess the likelihood of this being achieved, and consider the challenges in its implementation
• Develop a comprehensive knife crime action plan that tackles knife crime and its causes
• Explore how practitioners from across the public and third sectors can improve collaboration and develop early intervention strategies to protect vulnerable young people and tackle knife crime  
• Share police best practice in reducing incidences of knife crime
• Learn how survivors of knife crime and victims’ families can be better supported

Who Should Attend?

• Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships
• Community Safety Teams
• Community Rehabilitation Companies
• Probation Officers
• Welfare Officers
• Neighbourhood Policing Teams
• Anti-Social Behaviour Coordinators
• Drug and Alcohol Action Teams
• Police Services, Police Authorities and Fire Services
• Police and Crime Commissioners
• Police Associations
• General Practitioners
• Accident and Emergency NHS Staff
• Youth Offending Teams
• Youth and Outreach Workers
• Youth Inclusion Team from Young Offenders Institutes
• Integrated Offender Management Units
• Community Cohesion and Development Organisations
• Community Support Officers
• Accident and Emergency Departments
• Local Authority Officers and Councillors
• Central Government Departments and Agencies
• Children and Youth Services
• Domestic Violence Co-ordinators
• Families Services Officers
• Sure Start, Children’s Trusts and Children’s Centres
• Health Service Professionals
• Victim Support Representatives
• Psychologists
• Education Officers
• Social Workers and Social Services Officers
• Local Education Welfare Authorities
• Teachers and Head Teachers
• Neighbourhood Wardens and Co-ordinators
• Criminal Justice Practitioners
• Judges and Magistrates
• Legal Professionals
• Equality and Diversity Practitioners
• Third Sector Practitioners
• Academics and Researchers

Back to search results