The Home Office has launched a new anti-knife crime campaign, targeting two London hotspots. The “No Place for Knives” campaign is being piloted in Westminster and Croydon, as well as Birmingham.
Campaign measures and funding
Adverts will appear at tube stations, bus stops and on social media, and a new mural will be installed at Boxpark Croydon. Developed by the Home Office with police and local authorities, the campaign will see increased police activity in the target areas, with smarter metal detection, rapid response e-bikes, extra foot patrols and live facial recognition in use.
Westminster and Croydon, along with 16 other London boroughs, have received over £8.1 million of funding through the Home Office’s Knife Crime Concentrations Fund to roll out targeted interventions to tackle knife crime.
Knife crime figures
Recent figures show that knife crime in the capital has fallen 14% since the last General Election, while knife-related homicides have fallen by 34% and knife-enabled robbery is down by 19%.
Policing and Crime Minister Sarah Jones said: “Everyone in Westminster and Croydon deserves to feel safe on their streets. We know that hearing of knife crime incidents happening in your city can have the opposite effect and we want to stop that.
“We’re working with police to target knife crime where it causes the greatest harm, using intelligence and cutting-edge technology to make our communities safer.
“‘No Place for Knives’ sends a clear message: action is being taken and we will not accept people putting young lives and our communities at risk.”
Metropolitan Police response
Commander Pete Stevens of the Metropolitan Police said: “We know the devastating impact knife crime has – not just on families who have lost loved ones but on entire communities. Our officers work tirelessly to combat this senseless violence, proactively directing our resources towards the people who pose the most risk.
“These tactics are working. In the last financial year knife-enabled crime fell by 14.9% across London and over the last 5 years the number of people hospitalised after being attacked with a sharp weapon has fallen by 29%.
“We will continue to target violent criminals who threaten our communities. Every knife removed and every suspect arrested has the potential to prevent serious harm or save a life.”
