Prevent Pillar
Early intervention and diversion activity that tackles the causes of knife crime before harm occurs.
Overview
The Prevent pillar focuses on stopping knife crime before it happens through early intervention and addressing root causes. This includes educational programmes in schools and youth settings, community-based initiatives that divert young people away from violence, and work with families and support networks to identify and help those at risk of involvement. Effective prevention requires a public health approach that recognises knife crime as a symptom of deeper social issues including poverty, exclusion, and lack of opportunity.
Articles
On 11 February 2026, the Government announced that every child caught carrying a knife in England and Wales will receive a mandatory, tailored intervention plan backed by £320 million in Youth Justice Services funding.
Safeguarding and Vulnerability
A 2020 research study from De Montfort University demonstrates that rounded-tip kitchen knives cannot penetrate clothing fabrics, offering a potential crime reduction measure through safer knife design.
Evidence base
The Youth Justice Board's 2025 Evidence and Insights Pack provides guidance on effective approaches to reduce knife crime among young people.
Evidence base
The Government is seeking views on proposals to introduce a licensing system for sellers and importers of knives and bladed articles. This aims to strengthen knife legislation, improve enforcement, and reduce knife crime.
Legislation
As part of the Government’s Safer Streets Mission to halve knife crime in a decade, the Bill strengthens the law on the online sale of knives and ensures that the police and the courts have the necessary powers to get offensive weapons off the streets.
Legislation
Guidance
Offences and Powers - Online
Legal framework for online knife sales, including delivery requirements introduced by the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 and platform responsibilities.
Legislation
Offences and Powers - Retail
Legal framework governing knife sales by retailers, including age verification requirements, defences, and Trading Standards enforcement powers.
Legislation
Resources
Government Guidance for Child Knife Possession Offences (England and Wales)
Official government guidance published in February 2026 setting out expectations for how police, Youth Justice Services and other agencies should respond when a child is found in possession of a knife. Covers the three-stage process: police alerting YJS, initial assessment and referrals, and appropriate outcomes including out-of-court resolutions and mandatory intervention plans.
External Links
Safeguarding and Vulnerability
Rounded Knives Campaign Policy Brief
Policy brief from De Montfort University Leicester and the United Nations Academic Impact Hub examining research into rounded knives as safer alternatives to pointed kitchen knives. The study tested over 300 stabbing motions using knives with different tip shapes on clothing fabrics, finding that rounded-tip knives failed to penetrate any garments while pointed knives caused significant damage. The brief recommends promoting rounded knives, campaigning for legislation restricting pointed knives, and engaging manufacturers to produce safer alternatives. Author: Leisa Nichols-Drew, Chartered Forensic Practitioner and Associate Professor at DMU.
Evidence base
YJB Knife Crime Evidence and Insights Pack 2025
A comprehensive evidence pack from the Youth Justice Board examining knife crime statistics, risk factors, and the effectiveness of different intervention strategies. The pack provides data-driven recommendations for practitioners, highlighting that pre-court diversion and early intervention are more effective than prosecution and mandatory sentencing, and that some high-profile awareness programmes may actually be counterproductive.
External Links
Evidence base
College of Policing Knife Crime Evidence Briefing
Comprehensive evidence briefing from the College of Policing summarising research on factors associated with knife crime and strategies to tackle it. Provides an overview of risk factors, motivations for weapon carrying, and evidence-based interventions.
Crime and Policing Bill - knife crime and crossbows factsheet
External Links
Legislation