Offences for knife crime across the MPS area from January 2018 to September 2023

Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.23.032710

I note you seek access to the following information:

I am particularly interested in understanding the trends, causes, and efforts to address knife crime in London.

To that end, I would like to request the following information:

1. Statistical Data: I am seeking statistical data regarding the prevalence of knife crime in different areas of London over the past five years, including the number of incidents, demographics of those involved, and any trends or changes observed.

2. Causes and Factors: Could you provide insights into the factors contributing to the rise or decline of knife crime in specific areas? Understanding the root causes is crucial for my research. Police Initiatives:

3. I am interested in learning about any initiatives, programs, or policies that the Metropolitan Police have implemented to combat knife crime. Information about their effectiveness would be greatly appreciated.

4. Community Engagement: How does the Metropolitan Police engage with the local communities in high knife-crime areas to prevent such incidents and foster positive relationships?

5. Youth Outreach: Information on any youth outreach programs or educational campaigns aimed at preventing young individuals from becoming involved in knife crime would be highly relevant to my paper.

I understand that you may have limitations on the information that can be disclosed, but any data or insights you can provide would be immensely helpful in enhancing the quality of my research.

Decision

I have today decided to disclose some of the requested information. Some data has been withheld as it is exempt from disclosure and therefore this response serves as a Refusal Notice under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act) by virtue of the following exemptions:

Section 21 – Information accessible by other means

Reason for decision

The information requested has been identified as being accessible via other means as it is already published. Where information is already in the public domain we are not required to re-publish the data; instead public authorities are required to direct you to the information, which we have done in this instance. This action is in accordance with section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act.

I am pleased to inform you that some of the information requested is held by the MPS and is already in the public domain. The information can be accessed via the links provided within the answers below.

Disclosure

Q1 - Statistical Data: I am seeking statistical data regarding the prevalence of knife crime in different areas of London over the past five years, including the number of incidents, demographics of those involved, and any trends or changes observed.

Please find attached information pursuant to this question of your request above.

Q2 - Causes and Factors: Could you provide insights into the factors contributing to the rise or decline of knife crime in specific areas? Understanding the root causes is crucial for my research. Police Initiatives:

The root cause of knife crime is contextual and different for different areas of London, different communities and it changes over time. Every stabbing has a different root cause.

There has been a significant body of research into this topic and I would encourage you to review available literature. A start from a policing perspective would be Understanding the causes of knife crime | College of Policing.

Q3 - I am interested in learning about any initiatives, programs, or policies that the Metropolitan Police have implemented to combat knife crime. Information about their effectiveness would be greatly appreciated.

A lot of information about our work to tackle knife crime can be found on the Met police website, Met Police - Stop Knife Crime is a good place to start.

Current policing activity to combat knife crime and violence include:
• The most violent hotspots are subject to enhanced activity to reduce serious violence.
• Weekly activity is focused in areas with the highest volumes of Serious Youth Violence.
• Precision policing directs resources to the right place at the right time to help improve outcomes and reduce crime.
There is information on the effectiveness of a number of tactics to tackle knife crime on the Youth Endowment Fund Toolkit.

Q4 - Community Engagement: How does the Metropolitan Police engage with the local communities in high knife-crime areas to prevent such incidents and foster positive relationships?

There are established mechanisms for community engagement at all levels of the Met. These include local Neighbourhood Policing Teams working directly with the community and holding regular community engagement meetings and events, a senior officer dedicated to working in partnership with communities for every London borough, and London wide scrutiny panels such as the 'Policing Matters' and 'Justice Matters' meetings bringing together the Met, criminal justice agencies and other key partners to discuss the issues that matter to the safety of Londoners.

Q5 - Youth Outreach: Information on any youth outreach programs or educational campaigns aimed at preventing young individuals from becoming involved in knife crime would be highly relevant to my paper.

Where possible youth outreach is led locally in partnership with other organisations, and there are many provisions that are driven and helped by local police officers.
Other organisations also have extensive programmes designed to reduce violence, principally London’s Violence Reduction Unit.
Some examples of outreach run by the Met include:
• MO7 Engagement team - work on ongoing, local engagement projects; facilitating joint working, orchestrating larger events and supporting longer term projects such as Kicks, Dwaynamics Boxing and Art Competitions.
• Met Police Cadets - The volunteer police cadets offer a safe and friendly environment for young people to develop into good citizens. They are a fully inclusive uniformed youth group welcoming cadets from any social, economic, ethnic group; gender; ability or disability. We actively encourage young people who may feel disadvantaged through crime or social exclusion to join the VPC.
• Community Outreach Fund- Investing in local London communities and potential officers of the future. The Community Outreach Fund Programme focuses on building trust and confidence in women and Black, Asian and Multiple Ethnic Heritage communities across London. It actively involves and supports key influencers and advocates from local community groups and charities to use their own extensive networks and encourage members of their communities to consider a career in policing.
• Metropolitan Police Youth Football Club: Founded in 2009, the Metropolitan Police Youth Football Club (MPYFC) is a junior football club based in East Molesey, Surrey.