Britain removes over 80,000 knives from streets to reduce violence

British authorities and the public have removed more than 80,000 knives and dangerous weapons from streets across Britain since the General Election.

This effort involves a combination of government surrender schemes, police seizures, and actions by the Border Force. The Home Office reports that these efforts have led to a 24% drop in knife-enabled robberies across seven of the most affected police forces, including the Metropolitan Police and Greater Manchester.

The government established several initiatives to facilitate the removal of weapons. These include the Word 4 Weapons surrender bins and the FazAmnesty mobile surrender van. In Yorkshire, officials installed eight new static bins, which collected 583 weapons in August alone. The National Knife Crime Centre has also worked to identify 186 grey-market weapons sellers and report 183 social media handles suspected of selling dangerous weapons to platforms for removal. These actions have contributed to a broader decline in violence.

Knife crime across England and Wales fell by 11% since the General Election, resulting in nearly 6,000 fewer offences. The government reports that knife homicides have reached a 35-year low. Additionally, hospital admissions for assaults involving sharp objects dropped by 16%, with a 19% decrease among people under the age of 25. The government plans to continue these measures to reach its goal of halving knife crime within a decade.