Is Knife Crime in UK Schools on the Rise?

Unfortunately, knife crime in the UK school establishment is on the rise and becoming a serious issue. We all know that violent crimes in the UK are on the rise and creating serious trouble for residents and visitors alike. But when it comes to knife crime, we have to admit that this thing is on the rise.

Schools and other learning establishments are the places where parents send children to learn ethics but knives are becoming one of the biggest issues of these places. In the UK, children are getting knives in their bags creating an atmosphere of fear and terror among the other children. Parents look apprehensive and concerned about the safety and protection of their children. Can you imagine where teenagers come to learn the things that are helpful to others are now places where they bring knives with them and threaten other children?

As one of the UK’s well-reputed and known security guarding companies, we know how important is to address such issues so that no one gets harmed. In this blog, we will discuss what we can do to control this knife crime issue in schools and what protective measures we can take to discourage such activities. If you are worried about your children’s protection, this blog is mainly for you. Read it to the end and you will get to know a lot about parenting and children’s safety and security in our school.

An Overview of Knife Crime in the UK

At Guard Mark Security, we always ensure to provide true and legitimate information to our audience. All the information we are going to provide in this article is taken from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) and some other independent resources. You can go to the ONS website and recheck the information to ensure it’s true and legitimate.

Over the past few years, knife crime has been a serious issue, and police have recorded a high number of knife and sharp object cases. According to Office for National Statistics (ONS) data, the situation has reached alarming levels.

1- What’s Causing the Rise in Knife Crime?

2022: Police recorded 49,072 cases involving knives or sharp objects—a 10% increase compared to 2021.
Peak Year: The highest knife crime rate was recorded in 2019 during the pandemic, with 51,900 cases.
10-Year Trend: Over the past decade, knife crime has surged by 46% compared to 2012, signaling a deepening crisis.
Contributing Factors: The rise in knife crime has been fueled by economic recession, political instability, and other societal challenges.
Homicides: 40% of murders in 2022 (261 out of 594) were knife-related.

2- Regional Breakdown:

West Midlands: Recorded 152 knife crime offences per 100,000 population in 2022—the highest in the UK.
Dyfed-Powys (Wales): Recorded 32 offences per 100,000 population in 2022, one of the lowest rates in the country.

3- Weapon Possession:

Possession of weapons is also becoming a trend and people carry weapons or other sharp objects. It can be for safety purposes but the trend shows how many people are carrying the weapons with them.

In 2022, there were 19,555 recorded incidents of weapon possession, where individuals carried knives or other violent weapons.
Shockingly, 18% of offenders were teenagers (ages 10-17), highlighting a growing trend of youth involvement in knife-related crimes.
This possession of the knives in the school by the teenagers is increasing and creating an atmosphere of fear for everyone including the students, teachers, and other people present on the premises.

As these trends continue, it’s clear that this issue is not just about the possession of weapons—it’s about the growing concerns for security in schools, the rise of youth violence, and the need to protect our communities.

Key Statistics on Knife Crime in UK Schools

There has been a huge rise in knife crime in the UK over the past 10 years. Let’s see the knife crime rate and the number of offences that happened in schools and other educational establishments. According to the Ben Kinsella Trust, 99 murders happened in the last 10 years that were under the 25,s and out of this figure, 13 murders were under the 16. Now you can imagine how much this knife crime rate is impacting educational institutions.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS):

Out of 99 homicides, 51 victims were between the ages of 13 and 19.
2021 recorded the highest homicide rate, with 16 murders involving victims aged 13 to 19.
In 2021, 10 murders involved victims aged 16 to 17, but this number more than doubled in 2022, rising to 24 cases.
These figures indicate that knife-related violence in schools is nearing levels last seen in 2020, during the pandemic and chaos.

This shows the brutality and the horrification that is only happening due to the possession of knives and other sharp objects in the schools.

Knife Possession Among Young People

The presence of knives in schools is a growing concern. In 2022, out of 19,555 recorded convictions for knife and weapon possession:

18% (approximately 3,520 offenders) were between the ages of 10 and 17.
A Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) report revealed that 6.5% of children aged 10 to 15 personally knew someone who carried a knife or sharp object.
Among individuals aged 16 to 29, 5.7% admitted knowing someone who carried offencive weapons, while 1% confessed to carrying a knife themselves for their personal safety due to the increasing crime rate in the UK.

These kinds of figures force us to look at what factors are motivating our children to carry knives and other offencive weapons to schools and other educational institutions.

What’s Causing the Rise in Knife Crime?

The Ben Kinsella Trust said that the rise of crime rate and the possession of weapons increased during the time of the pandemic. Before COVID-19, the situation was not that bad and the young generation was not as vulnerable to such activities as they are now. Moreover, in an interview last year, the Chief Executive of the Ben Kinsella Trust Patrick Green said that rescission and the political instability caused by the pandemic are one of the most prominent causes of such an increased number of knife crimes and violations.

The biggest cause of increase in the knife crime is that they are available everywhere and anyone can hide such objects easily. Weapons like guns and pistols are way more difficult to get and hide and that is why many gang members, thieves, and other offenders prefer to carry knives with them. Let’s take a look at the future and see what will happen to such violent crimes and knife possession offences.

What Does The Future Hold For Knife Crime In Schools?

It is not possible for anyone to predict what will happen in the future related to knife crime rates but as we can see, the crime rate is increasing by a huge margin in the UK. But we can take preventive measures to control such criminal and offencive activities.

Stronger Laws and Penalties

One of the best ways to discourage knife possession and crime is to create some new laws and put heavy penalties and jail time for those who are caught having knives or being involved in criminal activities related to knives and other sharp objects. Increasing the fines and putting penalties is clearly one of the best ways to reduce the knife crime rate in the UK.

As per the reports shared by the Ministry of Justice, the number of offenders is increasing day by day and this is happening for the last 10 years. The panties and custody jail time should increase so that such people think twice before carrying a knife or doing something that involves a knife offence.

London’s Approach to Tackling Knife Crime

As we know the crime rates in London are always at their peak and in many crimes, London is at the number one position. London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan started taking action and asked the authorities to give punishments to those who were caught having knives or offencive weapons.

Due to the highest population in the UK, London naturally faces many crime-related issues but in Khan’s Mayoralty, the knife crime rate has dropped by notably 4% in recent years due to those high fines and punishments.

What Security Measures Can Schools Put In Place?

Schools and educational institutions are the most sensitive areas where no crime-related activities should happen. School security and children’s protection should be the number one priority for the school authorities and for those who are assigned to such tasks. Having the proper security measures provides peace of mind to everyone including pupils, parents, teachers, and school authorities.

Here are some of the preventive measures schools and other educational institutions can take into the place to ensure no pupils or students are carrying knives or other weapons in the establishment:

Hiring the Security Professionals

Having professionally trained school security guards can help you take care of the pupil’s protection. Whether you hire static or mobile security guards, both can help you in the best manner. The only difference is static security guards don’t move and stay in one place to keep a close eye on everyone. On the other hand, the mobile security guards move all around the school premises and ensure the protection of everyone perfectly.

At Guard Mark Security, we have been providing school security services for more than a decade in the UK and have helped hundreds of schools ensure security and protection. Whether you need security services that consistently petrol your establishment, keep a close eye on entry and exit points, or take care of the reception duties, our professionally trained security guards are capable of doing all that.

Moreover, all our school security personnel are SIA licenced and thoroughly vetted as per BS7858 standards ensuring complete credibility and trustworthiness. They are highly trained and skilled to control the crowd and manage emergencies to ensure no damage is caused to the students and teachers. Additionally, all our school security guards are well dressed and equipped with the items necessary to take care of the pupil’s protection perfectly.

CCTV Cameras for Schools

CCTV cameras are one of the best ingestion of this digital era. You can install different CCTV cameras all over the school establishment, especially in the play areas where the chances of bullying are highest. Moreover, installation of the CCTV cameras acts as a strong deterrent and discourages students from doing anything illegal because they know they are being recorded and the footage can be used as evidence against them.

At Guard Mark Security, we offer customised CCTV camera installation services. We know that every establishment is different so the layouts are. Our experts first visit your school premises, analyse your security requirements, and then provide you with the complete strategy for the installation so that no blind spots are left.

Moreover, we offer CCTV monitoring services as well because we know only installing the cameras is not enough. There should be a dedicated and professional person who monitors those cameras all the time and alerts the school authorities and security guards on time when necessary. All our CCTV monitoring experts are SIA licenced and well-trained to ensure the security and protection of everyone present in the school.

Complete Access Control

In order to control knife crime in schools, you can install metal detectors at the entry points of schools. These detectors beep whenever some metallic object passes through them. There are many establishments and schools that are using these detector machines to ensure the safety and security of the pupils. This also gives peace of mind to the parents knowing that their children are safe and sound in the educational institutions.

At Guard Mark Security, our guards are fully aware of the metal detector machines and know how to operate them effectively. You can hire static security guarding services and assign them the task of ensuring everyone enters the school premises through a metal detector. If the metal detector beeps, the security guards should search the person or the student to see if they are carrying something harmful.

So, these are some of the security measures schools and other educational institutions can implement to discourage criminal activities within the premises. At Guard Mark Security, we are concerned about the safety and security of your school. So, if you have any questions related to our services or need some guidance, we are here 24/7. You can call us anytime and ask your questions to our customer support team.