Children found in possession of a knife by police will now face an immediate, mandatory referral to youth justice teams, the Ministry of Justice has announced, as part of new measures to curb reoffending.
Under the government initiatives, every child caught with a blade must be referred by police to locally-led youth justice services. These teams will be responsible for creating specialised plans which could compel the young person to attend mentoring sessions.
The proposed measures also state that young knife carriers might be required to remain in education or training, with their progress subject to what the MoJ terms “intensively monitored” oversight. The Ministry clarified that charging offenders will still occur where it is deemed the most appropriate course of action. Those who do not engage with the intervention will be reported back to the police and could be brought before a judge.
The plans will be backed by a funding package for youth justice services worth over £320 million, the MoJ said.
Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary David Lammy stated that the aim was to put children “on the right path” with early targeted action. “Every life lost to knife crime is an unmitigated tragedy,” he said, as outlined by The Independent.
Policing minister Sarah Jones said the guidance ensured “no excuses” and that carrying a knife would trigger an immediate intervention. “We’re acting fast to stop violence before it starts and keep our streets safe,” she said.
The announcement follows two recent serious incidents involving young people. Two pupils at a secondary school in north-west London were left seriously injured after being stabbed. Elsewhere, on Tuesday, a teenage boy who murdered 12-year-old Leo Ross by stabbing him in the stomach in a random attack was detained for at least 13 years.
Trend in teenage homicides
The new intervention policy comes alongside Office for National Statistics figures showing a significant drop in teenage homicides. The number of teenage homicide victims per year in England and Wales has fallen by nearly half to its lowest level in more than a decade.
There were 34 homicide victims aged 13 to 19 in the year to March 2025, a 48 per cent decrease from 66 in the previous 12 months. The ONS data indicates the fall is likely to have been driven by a steep decline in teenage homicides involving a knife or sharp instrument, which fell 59 per cent year on year from 54 to 22. The total number of teenage homicide victims is now at its lowest since 2012/13.
