Incidences of knife and gun crime have been on the rise in recent years. This blog post discusses some key statistics, as well as the factors contributing to the rise and what is being done to address this.

UK Knife Crime

In England and Wales last year, there were more than 45,000 knife crime offences. This represents a nationwide increase of 8% for these offences, compared to the year ending June 2021, with regions such as the West Midlands seeing a 50% rise.

In England and Wales, on average, every homicide costs society £3,217,740. This highlights the economic implications of homicides, alongside the clear societal damage of taking lives.

US Gun Crime

Haemorrhage following traumatic injury is the leading cause of death in Americans under the age of 46. In 2020 in the US 79% of all homicides were gun-related.

As highlighted by BBC News, there were 647 mass shootings in the US last year, more than double that of 2014.  

Data from the CDC (US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention) showed that over 19,000 firearm related homicides occurred in 2020. Averaging more than 53 a day.

The scale of the problem of gun violence in America can be quantified by its economic impacts. Harvard Medical School researchers estimated that gun violence costs the US $557 billion annually, with each homicide costing society $17.25 million. To put it into perspective, gun violence costs America five times the annual budget for the Department of Education.

What’s Contributing to the Rise

Academics exploring the rise in knife crime have identified that toxic environments during youth can leave children scared and vengeful, leading them to carry knives and commit violent acts. The majority of knife crime takes place in regions suffering from social disadvantage which highlights the impact austerity can have on violent crime rates. Another factor that drives young people to violent crime is the fear of becoming a victim and their lack of trust in the authorities to protect them.

Research into gun violence in the US highlighted a number of root causes, including: income inequality, under-resourced public services and easy access to firearms by high-risk people. In the hands of high-risk people, guns can escalate minor disputes into fatal incidents. Growing distrust of law enforcement has also harmed public safety, as less information is shared with the police. Effective engagement with communities is crucial for preventing violence and this has suffered over recent years.  

What’s Being Done to Mitigate This

The UK Government have recently introduced the Serious Violence Duty, which forms a key part of their programme of work to reduce loss of life. This duty targets public sector organisations, such as schools, hospitals and councils. The duty places a legal requirement on these organisations to share information locally to reduce incidents of violence, such as knife and gun crime.

The Offensive Weapons Act 2019 has made it illegal to bring ‘Zombie Knives’ into the UK and has banned their sale and manufacture. ‘Zombie Knives’ often have serrated edges, are inspired by zombie films and can have blades up to two feet long. In addition to this, Knife Crime Protection Orders (KCPOs) have been trialled in London. These orders are an additional tool to help the police steer people away from knife crime and serious violence. They enable the police to impose civil court orders on people they believe to be carrying knives or those who have been previously convicted of a knife-related offence. The conditions of KCPOs can included travel restrictions, curfews and explicit bans from carrying a knife. Positive reinforcements can also be provided in the form of relationship counselling, drug rehabilitation and sports club referrals.

The U.S. Department of Justice has introduced measures in an attempt to address the gun violence epidemic. In June 2021, a model legislation was published for Extreme Risk Protection Orders. This model legislation provides a framework to help states formulate their own laws. By authorising courts to issue extreme risk protection orders, the state can prevent a person in crisis from accessing firearms. This legislation therefore has the potential to save lives by allowing intervention before the warning signs turn into a fatal incident.  

Since taking office, President Biden has announced three sets of executive actions to reduce gun violence. These actions have included: steps to promote the safe storage of firearms, increased law enforcement efforts and directing $5 billion of funding to expand community violence interventions (CVI). CVI are neighbourhood-based initiatives which have been proven to combat community gun violence.

• ACT Medical’s award-winning medical device aims to save the lives of stabbing victims by stemming bleeding from knife wounds. Follow ACT Medical on LinkedIn for latest updates or email hello@actmedical.co.uk to speak to us directly.