3 hours ago
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Hafsa Khalil & Sean Seddon
BBC News
Teenage homicide victims in England and Wales are far more likely to have been stabbed to death than any other age group, new statistics suggest.
In 2023-24, 53 of 64 homicide victims aged between 13 and 19 - or 83% - were killed with a sharp instrument, according to figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Thursday.
That is significantly higher than the proportion of knife homicides for all age groups, which was 46% for the same period.
This year there have already been a number of fatal stabbings of teenagers, such as the killing of 15-year-old Harvey Willgoose at his school in Sheffield on Monday.
The ONS data covers the 12 months to March 2024, and does not include knife homicides that have occurred since.
The latest figures continue an upward trend in the percentage of teenage homicides reported to involve a bladed article, compared to 56% in 2013-14.
A total of 262 knife homicides were recorded in 2023-24 for all age groups, of whom 40 were aged under 18, the ONS figures show.
The ONS data also revealed:
- Homicides involving a bladed article reached a decade high in 2023-24
- Male victims were more likely to be stabbed to death than females, at 50% compared to 35% respectively
- In the 262 recorded knife homicides, the type of weapon used were: a kitchen knife (42%), an unidentified sharp instrument (17%), a machete (7%), and a combat or military-style knife (5%)
The government said last year it would halve knife crime in a decade.
In September 2024, zombie-style knives were banned in England and Wales, making it an imprisonable offence to own, make, transport or sell them.
However, a BBC investigation a few months later found zombie knives and machetes were still available to buy online in the UK.
Actor Idris Elba - who has made a documentary on the solutions to knife crime for the BBC - said last week that while banning the sale of blades such as zombie-style knives is a positive step, early intervention is also necessary.
He told the BBC that domestic knives could also be made less dangerous.
"Not all kitchen knives need to have a point on them, that sounds like a crazy thing to say," he said, adding, "but you can still cut your food without the point on your knife, which is an innovative way to look at it."
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told the Times on Tuesday that she was considering a ban on kitchen knives with a pointed end as part of the government's crackdown.
The government has also vowed to bring in tougher measures aimed at preventing knives being sold online to under-18s.
Homicide is defined in law as the killing of another person, whereas murder specifically refers to unlawful killing with intent.
