- The Ministry of Justice has announced that police will now refer every child caught carrying a knife to youth justice services to prevent reoffending.
- These locally-led teams will create specialised plans, which may include mandatory mentoring sessions or requirements for young knife carriers to remain in education or training.
- While the focus is on intervention, offenders found with a knife can still face charges if it is deemed the most appropriate course of action.
- The new initiatives are backed by a funding package exceeding £320 million for youth justice services, aiming to help young people and enhance street safety.
- The announcement follows Office for National Statistics figures showing a 48 per cent drop in teenage homicides in England and Wales, reaching its lowest level in over a decade, largely due to a 59 per cent fall in knife-related teenage homicides.
IN FULL