In the past year, 21 teenagers lost their lives due to violent crimes, with Harry Pitman being the final victim as he was fatally stabbed just 20 minutes before midnight on New Year’s Eve. London saw the highest number of knife-related offenses in 2023, with 67 knife-related homicides reported by the Metropolitan Police in the 12 months leading up to June 2023, the highest in the UK. Knives and sharp objects were the primary cause of homicides in London during this time frame, followed by shootings and blunt instruments.

The Metropolitan Police recorded 12,755 knife-related incidents in the year leading up to March 2023, accounting for 25% of the national total. Additionally, there were 2,531 knife crime offenses resulting in injuries between January and August 2023, which showed an increase from the previous year but was below the numbers seen in 2019.

London was identified as the county with the highest number of serious knife-related offenses in 2023, with the Metropolitan Police reporting 13,503 cases out of a national total of 48,856. Crime rates varied across London boroughs, with Southwark, Lambeth, and Croydon in south London, Newham, Tower Hamlets, and Hackney in East London, Haringey, Enfield, and Barnet in North London, and Brent, Ealing, and Hounslow in West London experiencing the highest number of knife-related incidents.

Government research indicated that hospital admissions for knife-related injuries have remained stable over the past two years, with 175 admissions for youths under 16 and 471 for youths between 16-18 recorded in hospitals throughout England between 2022 and 2023. Surveys conducted by the Crime Survey of England and Wales (CSEW) revealed that a percentage of young individuals knew someone who carried a knife, highlighting the ongoing issue of knife-related violence.