Memorandum submitted by the Mayor of London
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1. This submission highlights the nature
and extent of knife crime in London, outlines the current approach
and identifies the key issues the Mayor of London believes the
Committee should address.
2. The Mayor has recently published "Time
for Action" which outlines his proposals to tackle youth
violence and provide greater opportunities for young Londoners.
We urge the Committee to review the Mayor's proposals as part
of its Inquiry and hard copies have been sent to all the Committee
members separately.
3. The Mayor urges the Committee to focus
on preventative work, deterrence, detection and understanding
the risk factors for victimisation and offending in relation to
knife crime, as well as being cognisant of the need for long-term
solutions to this issue.
4. Recommendations include aligning future
work in London to the Mayor's proposals outlined in "Time
for Action", as well as the need for more focused and
standardised data, a centrally coordinated survey about knife/
violent crime, better evaluation of programmes, an improved criminal
justice system response, high quality victim and witness support,
the inclusion of under-16s in the British Crime Survey (with a
London sample) and the development of a communications plan for
young Londoners.
INTRODUCTION
5. The Mayor of London welcomes this opportunity
to provide a written submission to the Committee's Inquiry on
Knife Crime. As the directly elected head of London's government
the Mayor of London is in a unique position to represent the views
of Londoners. The issue of youth violence is the Mayor's number
one priority and he has taken personal charge of tackling the
issue alongside the Deputy Mayor for Policing, Kit Malthouse.
6. The Mayor has recently published his
proposals to tackle youth violence and provide greater opportunities
for young people.
VIOLENT CRIME
7. While the focus of the Home Affairs
Select Committee is on knives, the Mayor recognises the need to
highlight that violent incidents also involve other weapons. Where
deemed appropriate, references to these are outlined in the submission.
8. It is also essential that the Committee
takes into consideration the drivers or motivators for people,
particularly young people, becoming involved in violent crime.
The issue is more one of a propensity to violence rather than
access to a particular weapon such as a knife, or being a member
of a gang.
KNIFE CRIME
IN LONDON
Statistics
9. During 2007-08, 10,220 knife-enabled
crimes were recorded by the Metropolitan Police. Just under half
of knife-enabled crime was violence against the person, around
45% was robbery, 5% was burglary and the remaining 1% was sexual
offences.
10. During the same year, the Metropolitan
Police Service (MPS) proceeded against 2,544 people for knife
enabled crime, of these 950 were aged under 20 equating to 38%.
11. Long term trends: In London knife offending
decreased by 27% between 2003-04 and 2007-08 and continues to
fall.[45]
The sanction detection rate success rate for knife crime in London
was 23% in 2007-08.
12. Latest figures: From April 08 the Met has had
to reclassify what offences are counted under knife-enabled crime
in order to comply with national guidelines. As such the figures
now include sharp instruments (as well as knives) so the count
has become inflated (est 15%). Nevertheless, April to August 2008
figures show that knife crime is down 9% (from 6,089 to 5,533
the same period the previous year). The sanction detection rate
was 25.3%.
13. London has the greatest volume of "most
serious" knife crime (34% of the national total), although
the rate of offending per head for London is similar to Greater
Manchester and West Midlands areas (9.7 per 10,000 population
compared to 8.8 and 8.3 respectively).
14. London has a higher than average proportion
of knife-enabled murders (50% in London against a national average
of 37%) and these increased from 53 to 73 (12%) between 2002-03
and 2007-08 despite an overall 17% reduction in the murder rate.
15. There was a sizeable increase in knife
enabled youth homicide (up to 18 years of age) during 2007 with
the figure doubling from 8 to 16 and this trend is continuing.
Knife crime murders have increased proportionally from just over
one quarter to just under a half. Knives are more prevalent than
firearms and this is reflected in the weapons crime statistics.
Of the 27 teenage victims so far in 2008, 21 were killed with
a sharp instrument (three were shot and three were beaten).
Mayoral Priorities
16. The Mayor is committed to ensuring London
is one of the world's safest cities and believes that achieving
this vision is essential to the capital's continued success, prosperity
and social development. Knife crime threatens this vision and
creates fear amongst Londoners.
17. Whilst urgent enforcement measures (such
as the Metropolitan Police's Stop and Search Operation Blunt 2)
are working well to tackle immediate issues on the streets, the
Mayor supports long-term, lasting solutions to reduce violence,
particularly youth violence, in the capital.
18."Time for Action" outlines the
mayor's proposals to target youth violence through several key
themes including:
— supporting young people who are in
custody for the first time (Project Daedalus);
— keeping young people in education
(Project Brodie);
— Mayor's Scholars, London Academies
and Apprentices;
— developing character and responsibility
(Project Titan);
— expanding sport and music opportunities;
and
— establishing and disseminating what
works best (Project Oracle).
19. The Mayor invites interested parties
to respond to the consultation by 16 December 2008.
Availability and reliability of data, knife-carrying
offences and hotspots
20. Knife crime relates to a variety of
offences but, although London figures have been available since
2003-04, no standardised means of capturing knife-enabled crime
exists for England and Wales, making comparisons difficult.[46]
The Mayor would like a standardised nationwide approach to be
taken so that comparisons can be made.
21. The most recent British Crime Survey
suggests that only 34% of violent crime offences are reported
to the police. Whilst the Mayor is concerned about this figure
he is also eager that future BCS surveys include under 16s and
as part of a London sample.
22. The Youth Justice Board presently does
not collate data looking specifically at knife-enabled offences.
Instead their data relates to violence against the person incidents,
a category that covers the whole spectrum of violence from verbal
abuse to murder. The Mayor would like clearer youth crime data
to be made available indicating levels of seriousness and weapons
involved.
23. Recent analysis of Accident and Emergency
(A&E) knife related injuries dealt with by an East London
hospital indicated that only half of incidents were reported to
police. The Mayor supports wider use of de-personalised A&E
data across London alongside police data to provide a more comprehensive
knife crime picture regarding prevalence, geography and trends.
24. It is important to note that 14% of
all knife-enabled crimes relate to domestic violence (approximately
1,400 offences in 2007-08). As females account for 80% of domestic
victimisation, it is reasonable to assume that women account for
the vast majority of knife-enabled domestic violence victims.
The Mayor recognises the impact of domestic violence on victims
and communities and understands that the approach to this problem
will vary considerably to that of non-domestic situations.
OFFENDER PROFILES,
AND PUBLIC
PERCEPTIONS OF
LEVELS OF
KNIFE CRIME
Offender profiles
25. MPS data suggest that serious youth
violence offenders, where both victim and suspect are under the
age of 25 are generally male and ethnically diverse, with White
British representing 48% of suspects in the 20-25 year age group.
Where both the victim and suspect are under 20, African-Caribbean
offenders comprise just over half of all suspects.
26. However, the Mayor is keen to highlight
that members of the African-Caribbean community are more likely
to be victims of serious youth violence than offenders and are
disproportionately represented in victim statistics. In 2007,
19 of the 26 teenage murders (62%) were African-Caribbean.
Public perceptions
27. The Mayor recognises that, despite recorded
crime statistics showing a reduction in overall crime, there has
not been a concurrent decrease in the public's perception of crime,
in particular relating to violent crime.
28. The Mayor supports recent findings,
through the MPA Youth Scrutiny, that the press portrayal of young
people is often negative and can result in Londoners feeling under
threat and agrees that a communications campaign focusing on the
positive part that most young Londoners play in the capital is
needed. This issue is outlined as an area for consideration in
the "Time for Action" document.
Causes: Reasons for knife-carrying and use
29. Research suggests a number of complex
factors that can increase the probability that a young person
will carry and use a knife. These include: a lack of discipline
and effective role models, fractured families, personality type,
early development and lack of support, having a sibling engaged
in violent crime, being a victim of violent crime, not feeling
safe, lack of community cohesion, portrayals by the media and
the entertainment industry, and a cultural shift in perceptions
and expectations of some young people in relation to carrying
weapons.
Causes: Availability of knives
30. Knives are easily accessible and because
of this, are more likely to be used than guns. However, owning
or carrying an illegal knife is an offence irrespective of whether
it is used to commit a crime.
31. There was a 22% reduction of offensive
weapons found by the MPS between 2003-04 and 2007-08 (from 8,340
to 6,590). However, it should be noted that statistics on possession
of offensive weapons largely reflect police activity, ie arrests
and stop and search, and will not accurately reflect real trends
as a significant proportion will go undetected.
Current legislation
32. The Mayor supports the recent increase
in the maximum penalty for carrying a knife from two to four years'
imprisonment and a fine of £5,000. However, the Mayor is
concerned that, despite legislation, too few individuals are prosecuted
when found with a knife.
33. The Mayor supports the use of stop and
search powers in order to tackle knife crime. A Section 60 stop
and search power allows a police constable to search an individual
without having reasonable grounds of suspicion. No suspicion that
the individual might have committed an offence is needed. The
Mayor supports this power, together with the use of scanners,
to tackle serious street crime involving the use of weapons in
a specific area (eg outside tube stations, town centres) and gang
related violence, where intelligence indicates specific crime
"hotspots".
34. The Mayor would like to see more work
undertaken at a local level to prosecute retailers who sell knives
(including cutlery and kitchen knives) to anyone under the age
of 18. Trading Standards have a duty to enforce this legislation
as part of their core business.
35. The Mayor supports recent legislation
that enables school staff to search, without consent, any pupil
they suspect of carrying a knife or other weapon in school. It
is essential that schools are able to screen pupils at random,
without suspicion, using a screening arch or an electronic wand.
36. There are various pieces of legislation
relating to knife crime which do not currently form a coherent
framework within which practitioners can confidently work. The
Mayor supports the recent work of the Association of Chief Police
Officers (ACPO) to clarify knife crime legislation for practitioners
but would like the Government to go further in this regard.
Solutions: Education, parents and community projects
37. Education is key to diverting young
people away from crime. The Mayor's "Time for Action"
proposals highlight truancy as a key area for action through the
use of greater police patrols and by exploring the use of technology
such as text messaging.
38. The Mayor will support a number of new
academies and will direct resources to young people in care through
the "Mayor's Scholars" programme.
39. Already the Mayor, through the work
of the GLA Group, has been tackling serious violence, through:
£4 million of additional MPS funding for focussed activities
such as Kickz, Met Track, and Project YOU; the £20 million
London Youth Offer, including up to £5 million for third
sector and community organisations; funding for educational programmes
preventing and diverting young people from involvement in gun
and knife crime in London; the development of a forum for practitioners
working with offenders and victims of serious youth violence;
and the establishment of 56 new after school sports clubs (through
LDA support).
40. The GLA Group has also supported a number
of programmes to increase community involvement in tackling serious
youth violence such as Safer Neighbourhoods Panels, Community
Engagement Groups, the Five Borough Alliance and Trident.
41. The Mayor agrees that more work is needed
with families and with the need to keep young people in education
and, through the GLA's membership of the London Youth Crime Prevention
Board, has welcomed the development of a Safer Schools Framework
and work to improve Pupil Referral Units.
42. The Mayor is championing the development
of a repository of what works well to tackle youth violence as
a key activity in the "Time for Action" document.
Solutions: Police operations, amnesties and enforcement
43. Upon taking office, the Mayor ensured
that focussed and sustained enforcement was rolled out across
London in the form of Operation Blunt 2, using search wands and
arches and the tactic of stop and search. Since its launch in
May: more than 103,000 stops/searches have been conducted; over
4,000 people have been arrested for possession of weapons and
crimes involving the use of knives; over 2,600 knives have been
recovered; screening arches have been deployed on more than 600
occasions; Safer Neighbourhood Teams have conducted more than
2,800 searches in public areas to recover concealed weapons; since
the commencement of Operation Blunt 2, 92% of persons proceeded
against for possession of knives/bladed articles have been charged
to appear in court (all as of the week ending 6/10/08).
44. The Operation Blunt 2 Task Force has
provided a focused response to hot spot areas across London and
more people are now being charged for possession of knives/sharp
instruments. 93% of those arrested in June 2008 were charged,
compared to 71% of those arrested during September 2007.
45. The Mayor supports the numerous other
operations that have serious violence as a principal focus, including
Operation Curb, Operation Neon, Operation Kartel and the Five
Borough Alliance.
Solutions: Convictions, penalties and sentencing
46. The Mayor believes that Judges and Magistrates
need to do more to reflect the fear of knife crime by ensuring
that those found carrying knives are dealt with more appropriately
by the criminal justice system.
47. The Mayor supports the targeting of
young people who are involved in group violence and the ability
to charge them with murder, even if they do not physically take
part in an attack.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Support for the proposals outlined in "Time
for Action" and partnership work to ensure that focused activity
is delivered as soon as possible.
48. The Mayor has made it clear that long-term
prevention is key to sustained reductions in knife crime. "Time
for Action" highlights the key areas that the Mayor wants
to focus on. The Mayor invites the Government, key agencies and
the community to take part in the consultation. It is hoped that
work to deliver the proposals will begin in earnest alongside
key partners once feedback has been taken into consideration.
Improve current data collation methods
49. The Mayor supports a number of improvements
to current data available for violent crime. These include the
use standardised subcategories; the wider use of hospital admission
(A&E) data to provide a fuller picture of the extent of gun
and knife crime; more specific Youth Offending Team (YOT) data
(the inclusion of additional sub-categories to widen the violence
against the person focus), as well as data on the involvement
of weapons.
50. Ensure the British Crime Survey reports
on victimisation of young Londoners: The Mayor supports the recent
proposal to extend the British Crime Survey to under 16s and,
as part of the recent consultation process, has stressed the need
for a London version of the data with an adequate sample size
that enables a robust analysis of serious youth violence.
51. Develop a centrally coordinated survey
with standard definitions: At present no regular national or regional
representative survey exists that asks the public about their
perceptions of knife crime. The Mayor supports the development
of a consistent and regular offending survey that is based on
standard definitions of violent crime.
52. Better evaluation of programmes that
address serious violence: The Mayor is concerned that robust evaluation
of activities dealing with serious youth violence is not. The
Mayor is keen to lead work on a repository of "what works
well".
53. An improved criminal justice system
which deals with knife crime offenders more quickly: Improvements
in stop and search must be backed up by effective criminal justice
responses. The Mayor believes that Judges and Magistrates need
to be more attuned to the public's concern about knife crime and
appropriately sentence young people coming to attention. Work
needs to take place with first time offenders to prevent them
from re-offending. The Mayor supports the Ministry of Justice
paper recommendation to make the investigation of a "group
enterprise" easier by targeting young people involved "by
association" and urges the Government to adopt this recommendation
as soon as possible.
54. The provision of high quality, focussed
victim and witness support: There is a strong correlation between
being a victim and an offender of knife crime and other serious
violence. The Mayor believes that targeted victim support programmes
need to be put in place and include an informal educational element
(for example, using a DVD educational programme such as those
funded by the Mayor) to change the attitudes of people towards
the use of knives. The Mayor supports better use of witness protection
arrangements and programmes to ensure that people can come forward
and give evidence without the fear of reprisals.
55. The development of a communications
plan for young Londoners: The Mayor believes that the press portrayal
of young people is often negative and can result in Londoners
feeling under threat and supports the development of a communications
campaign focusing on the positive part that most young Londoners
play in the capital.
October 2008
45 The latest figures now include offences involving
sharp instruments other than knives in line with new home office
counting rules. The MPS have had to adhere to a national standard
definition to comply with the new Home Office performance-monitoring
framework starting 2008-09 entitled "APACS". Back
46
Over recent years the MPS have only published figures that relate
to knives but from March 2008 they are publishing figures that
include knives and other sharp instruments. Back
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