Knife crime

• The extent of this social disease was revealed last week, when the Office for National Statistics (ONS) announced that 45,627 knife offences had been carried out in England and Wales in 2019. This was the highest annual number since records began. The figure is 7% higher than in 2018
• The crisis can be attributed to a decade of insufficient public investment in policing, which led to the cut of 20% of the police budget and the job loss of approximately 20,000 officers.
• Finding a cause and solution to the UK's knife crime epidemic is intricate.
• Adopting the Violence Reduction Units (VRU) model is an encouraging starting point, but its effects will only be seen in the long-term.
• Meanwhile, more victims are dying annually, particularly in urban areas, and addressing cultural issues may deter them from crime.
• Youths are not solely to blame for all of knife crime, and cultural factors don't entirely explain the recent surge.
• Increased police numbers may help, but the state's recent police funding increase is a positive step.
• These issues all feed into the crisis, and only a comprehensive government response can address them.
• With such a multifaceted problem, a comprehensive strategy is needed.
• Many people believe that those who carry knives are simply criminals and that what is needed to stop this behaviour is more police officers on the streets. In recent years, there has been a decrease in the number of police officers as there has not been as much money available from the government to pay for them. The UK's top police officer Cressida Dick has said that she believes there is "some link" between falling police numbers and a rise in violent crime.
• Some experts argue that often it is a fear of gangs and crime that leads to young people carrying knives, because they believe it will help to keep them safe. The trouble is that those weapons may then be used, which could make the number of violent incidents go up.
• Others say that young people get involved with gangs and knife crime because they lack opportunities in life. They say there are too few services provided to help and support young people, including education, mental health services and youth centres. They believe that improving these services would help cut the amount of violent crime. Many of these services have been reduced as a result of the government reducing the money available to spend on these services.
• • Men make up a large majority of perpetrators and victims - around 85% are male. The peak age range is 18-24.
• Knife crime is concentrated in major cities like London, Birmingham, Manchester, and Liverpool. These cities have seen large increases while rates in rural areas remain relatively low
• • Contributing factors likely include reductions in police numbers/funding, cuts in youth services, poverty, gang culture, drill music promoting violence. The reasons are complex and disputed though.
• • From an anthropological lens, knife crime can be seen as the outcome of complex socioeconomic and cultural factors. Reductive explanations of simply blaming various groups fails to capture this nuance.
• • Changes to drug markets and "postcode wars" between territorial gangs are also anthropological factors. Identifies get shaped by neighborhood or gang affiliation in this context.
• • Related is the emergence of drill music that propagates and reflects road culture and violence. This provides cultural narratives glamorizing knives as means of protection/status.
• Carrying knives can also signal masculinity or "manhood" as rites of passage for those marginalized. getting attention, earning respect, feeling power are tied to violence
• Anthropologists argue that understanding these issues requires looking at them holistically rather than simplistic solutions such as banning certain types of knives.
• The role of social media in spreading violent messages and providing platforms for criminal activity has been highlighted. It's not just about accessibility but how it shapes identities and behaviors.
• These online communities reinforce offline behavior and create a sense of belonging among members.
• The rise of online communities focused on violent content, known as "drill music," has contributed to the increase in knife crime. Drill music often features lyrics about violence and encourages listeners to carry knives for self-defense.