28th April 2025
Knife and Offensive Weapon Sentencing Statistics: July to September 2024
On 20th February 2025, the Ministry of Justice published sentencing statistics from the period July to September 2024 that set out trends in the cautioning and sentencing of knife and offensive weapon offences in England and Wales.
Details
The Statistics provide information about the number of knife and offensive weapon offences dealt with by the Criminal Justice System (CJS).
The Statistics revealed the following data regarding children and knife and offensive weapon sentencing:
- The number of knife and offence weapon offences by children aged 10 to 17 dealt with by the CJS during this period was 3,591, an increase of 27% compared to ten years ago.
- 192 offences involving 10 to 17-year-old offenders were sentenced to immediate custody. This represents a 41.5% decrease over the decade.
- There were 260 repeat 16 to 17-year-old possession occasions.
- There was a 9.8% an increase in repeat offending 16-to-17-year-olds receiving a youth rehabilitation order.
- The average custodial sentence length for 16-to-17-year-old repeat offenders was 6 months. Compared to the previous year, 16-to-17-year-olds have had the only decrease in sentence length (decrease of 1%), however, this number should be handled with care due to the small volume of offenders.
Commentary
Following the worldwide success of the Netflix show Adolescence, knife crime among children has received renewed attention. Although it is extremely concerning that the number of knife offences involving children dealt with by the CJS has risen by 27% over the past decade, this figure may also reflect changes in policing practices and guidance, with children now more likely to be processed through formal channels.
A positive development is the decreasing number of children being sentenced to custody, reflecting a growing recognition that custodial sentences should be a last resort. This shift towards rehabilitative justice is encouraging.
However, the continued rise in youth violence is concerning. The focus must remain on evidence-based, preventative measures, including early intervention, education, and community support rather than on punitive measures which don’t work in preventing offending by children.
For a detailed analysis of the courts’ right to impose knife crime prevention orders on children please see Knife Crime Prevention Orders and Children