Knife crime trial ‘needs re-thinking’
20 April 2023
‘It is a good idea in principle but I don’t think it will have much impact’, says ‘sceptical’ Federation chair Rich Cooke after West Midlands is revealed as one of four forces taking part in a new stop and search trial aimed at tackling knife crime.
Rich’s comments follow the announcement that a number of forces will introduce Serious Violence Reduction Orders (SVROs), which will make it easier for officers to search high-risk offenders for weapons.
The trial, which started on Wednesday (19 April), means the court will be able to issue a SVRO, giving officers the power to stop and search a person, providing they are aged 18 or over and have previously been convicted of carrying a knife or bladed article.
If an offender breaches the order, they could receive up to two years in prison, an unlimited fine, or both.
“While this is a good idea in principle, I think it needs re-thinking,” says Rich, who has been actively campaigning for a tougher approach to knife crime.
“A lot of the suspects are juvenile, which means they will be exempt from the stop and search orders. I’m a little bit sceptical about it all, will it really make any difference?
“Is this really tackling the problem, and targeting the right people?”
In 2022, West Midlands Police recorded 1,894 crimes where machetes were used, according to official figures, which is around 160 a month.
West Midlands Police also recorded the highest rate of knife crime per 100,000 people, which saw figures increase by 496 per cent since 2012, to a total of 7,257 incidents between 2021 and 2022.
“In my opinion, it’s a bit too soft. Why shouldn’t the police be able to stop a repeat offender?” added Rich.
“This still relies on officers applying for an order to be put in place. It shouldn’t be a temporary order that is applied for, it should be permanent, it should be mandatory.
“I’m not sure how much impact this will have.”
The Government recently announced plans for a crackdown on knife crime, which would see more machetes and zombie knives banned in England and Wales.
This came shortly after supermarket giant Iceland became the latest retailer to sign a voluntary policy agreeing to the responsible sale of knives.
Rich welcomed this news after he actively called for an ‘outright ban’ on the sale of machetes, following two knife attacks - one fatal - that took place in Walsall across three days in March.
“Of course, I am pleased to see that Iceland, along with multiple other retailers are taking a more responsible stance when it comes to the sale of knives,” said Rich, who urgently calling for ‘tighter rules’ to be implemented on the sale of machetes and other weapons.
“We have got to fight knife crime on all fronts, and that includes a clampdown on supply.
“I’d now like to see even more retailers taking action and signing the agreement.”
The voluntary agreement with major retailers on the responsible sale of knives has been in place since 2016 and was revised in line with the Offensive Weapons Act, which was passed in 2019.
The act meant that retailers should apply their existing policies for age-restricted items when it comes to the sale of knives. It also included details on retailers ensuring knives are displayed and packaged securely to minimise risk. Additionally, retailers should also take practical and proportionate steps to restrict accessibility and avoid immediate use, to reduce the possibility of injury and to prevent theft.
Iceland is the latest retailer to sign the voluntary agreement, joining Aldi, Amazon UK, Argos, Asda, B&Q, Co-Op, Dunelm, Ebay, Homesense, John Lewis, Lidl, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, TK Maxx, Waitrose and Wilko.
While Rich has welcomed news that more retailers are taking a stand against knife crime, he said the only way to really stop offenders is to ‘outright ban the sale of machetes’.
“Although it’s a step in the right direction, unfortunately, it’s not going to be enough to stop these offenders,” he said.
