Government to launch new coalition to tackle knife crime

Joined by anti-knife crime campaigner, and co-founder of the Elba Hope Foundation, Idris Elba, the Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime will bring together campaign groups, families of people who have tragically lost their lives to knife crime, young people who have been impacted and community leaders, united in their mission to save lives and make Britain a safer place for the next generation. 

The coalition will also include technology companies, sport organisations as well as partners in the health service, education and the police.

It will work with experts to develop an extensive understanding of what causes young people to be dragged into violence, providing vital evidence that will drive government policy and holding the government to account on its knife crime commitments.  

Ahead of its launch, later today the Prime Minister will meet with the Home Secretary, Idris Elba and campaign groups at the first annual Knife Crime Summit at Downing Street. 

At the meeting, the Prime Minister will set out how this mission is personal for him. After years spent working as the Director of Public Prosecutions, he has seen first-hand how violence on our streets can destroy families and leave communities devastated. 

He will reassure the families that they can have confidence in his determination, and that he has a plan for action, not just talk. He pledged that he will pull the levers needed to halve knife crime, including bringing in new legislation.

This work has already begun with legislation underway to ban ninja swords.

The government will also strengthen the laws around the online sales of knives, making sure the rules in place to stop dangerous weapons ending up in the hands of young people are enforced. 

Commander Stephen Clayman, the National Policing lead for knife crime, has been tasked with leading a rapid review to understand how these weapons are sold online and delivered to under 18s, identifying gaps in legislation and the most effective ways to stop this. He will report back to the Home Secretary by the end of the year.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:  

As Director of Public Prosecutions, I saw first-hand the devastating impact that knife crime has on young people and their families. This is a national crisis that we will tackle head on.

We will take this moment to come together as a country – politicians, families of victims, young people themselves, community leaders and tech companies – to halve knife crime and take back our streets.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said:  

We will not sit back while precious lives are being lost and young people’s futures destroyed. That is why we are making it a mission for the country to halve knife crime in a decade.

Getting weapons off our streets and making sure there are tough and clear consequences for violence are vital. And we also need to prevent young people heading down this path – that means offering young people more hope, more opportunities. 

This coalition is crucial – bringing together those who have fought so passionately for change and who know how devastating knife crime can be and why we need action now.

Anti-knife crime campaigner Idris Elba OBE said:

We need to tackle the root causes of knife crime, not just the symptoms. The coalition is a positive step toward rehabilitating our communities from the inside out.

Commander Stephen Clayman, National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for knife crime, said:

We welcome the government’s further commitment to tackling knife crime through today’s announcements.

Knife crime continues to blight the lives of individuals, families and whole communities and despite so much brilliant work ongoing around the country, policing cannot solve this problem alone. Knives are far too easily accessible, with online sellers being a key focus of our work over the last year. I look forward to leading the review into online supply and continuing to work in close partnership with government, retailers and the third sector to find ways we can bring meaningful, long-term change that will make our streets safer for everyone.

Today’s announcement is the first step in the government’s 10-year plan to tackle knife crime, which will be central to its mission to keep our streets safe.

It will build on the new Young Futures programme, already set out by the Home Office, to offer young people a pathway out of crime. 

This will create prevention partnerships for young people most at risk of being dragged into violence, and bring together the right services to help them lead safe and healthy lives. Young Futures hubs will be set up offering young people a safe place to go where they can be diverted into positive activities and access the services they need.