Knife Crime Prevention Orders

Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.22.023914

I note you seek access to the following information:

Please could you provide any information or data you have collected on the use of Knife Crime Prevention Orders since you began the pilot.

How many Knife Crime Prevention Orders have been issued since the pilot began?
What is the demographic breakdown of those who were issued with Knife Crime Prevention Orders? Please include gender, age, race, and area.
How many Knife Crime Prevention Orders were issued to individuals believed to be carrying knives?
How many Knife Crime Prevention Orders were issued to individuals believed to be habitual knife carriers?
How many applications have been made by the police to the courts for Knife Crime Prevention Orders?
How many orders were granted?
How many orders were rejected?
Of the Knife Crime Prevention orders that were rejected, please provide reasons why.

Can you share any data you have on courts providing positive intervention? Such as such as educational courses, sports club referrals, relationship counselling, anger management, mentoring and drug rehabilitation.

Have any Knife Crime Prevention Orders been breached? If so, please share the criminal offence that was handed to the individuals who breached the orders.

Decision

I have today decided to disclose the located information to you in full.

Please find below information pursuant to your request above.

How many Knife Crime Prevention Orders have been issued since the pilot began?

There have been 45 KCPO’s issued since the pilot began.

What is the demographic breakdown of those who were issued with Knife Crime Prevention Orders? Please include gender, age, race, and area.

Please see the attached.

How many Knife Crime Prevention Orders were issued to individuals believed to be carrying knives?

There were no KCPO’s granted to those believed to be carrying a knife. This answer relates to orders granted on the basis of intelligence.

How many Knife Crime Prevention Orders were issued to individuals believed to be habitual knife carriers?

Two have been issued.

How many applications have been made by the police to the courts for Knife Crime Prevention Orders?

You have asked how many applications have been made by the police (MPS) to the courts, just to confirm the MPS do not make the application to court as this is the role of the CPS. Once we pass the cases to the CPS, it is their decision as to whether they make the application or not. We support them by attending court and giving evidence if necessary.

How many orders were granted?

There were forty five orders granted.

How many orders were rejected?

There were twenty nine rejected.

Of the Knife Crime Prevention orders that were rejected, please provide reasons why.

Please note that this information is for the court to record, however some general themes are available which include the following:

1. Court deemed the National Probation Service / Youth Offending Service sentencing elements were sufficient to manage the risk.

2. Judge believed the lack of previous offending / link to knife crime didn’t justify the making of an order.

3. KCPO was not necessary to prevent future knife offending.

4. Judge ruled that Possession of a Knife did not fall within the legislation to allow an order to be granted.

Can you share any data you have on courts providing positive intervention? Such as such as educational courses, sports club referrals, relationship counselling, anger management, mentoring and drug rehabilitation.

Positive interventions include the requirement for the subjects to engage with an educational, employment skills, leisure based diversionary, mentoring or support service.

Have any Knife Crime Prevention Orders been breached? If so, please share the criminal offence that was handed to the individuals who breached the orders.

There have been six breaches of KCPO identified so far. These are for breaching one of the prohibitions as set out in the order contrary to Section 25 Offensive Weapons Act 2019. Four of these have been concluded at court resulting in a fine, 2 x Youth Rehabilitation Order and a Not Guilty.

Additional Information:

As police we have a duty to prevent crime and violence by providing diversions to those who need it most. Knife Crime Prevention Orders (KCPOs) aim to divert people from becoming involved in knife crime by offering them support and skills alongside our partners. They were created to prevent violence through both support and restrictions. Tackling violence is the top priority for all in the Met, and we will continue using every tactic available to prevent people getting hurt.

The Met police is committed to take a preventative approach to violence so people are not hurt in the first place. KCPO’s may be something that achieves that. This approach is subject to a rigorous evaluation to assess the impact that it has on preventing violence

Background on KCPOs:

The Metropolitan Police Service is piloting legislation to help prevent knife crime in London.

A Knife Crime Prevention Order (KCPO) is a civil order that may be imposed on anyone aged 12 or over who is known to be regularly carrying a knife, or is convicted of a knife-related offence.

They will allow intervention at an early stage to help divert people from being drawn into violence, by supporting them to make better lifestyle changes.

The KCPOs can include positive requirements, for example attendance at weapon awareness courses; engaging with charities; attending life skills programmes; participation in group sports; and drug rehabilitation.
Some of the orders also have restrictions on associating with certain individuals; going into specific areas; and being set curfews.