West Midlands Police Federation chair Rich Cooke says there needs to a multi-pronged approach to knife crime after new Government figures revealed an increase in recorded incidents the Force area.

Rich said there needs to be a focus on prevention, deterrents, and on making it as difficult as possible for people to access bladed-weapons, such as zombie and Rambo knives.

“We’re having far too many young people murdered and maimed,” Rich said. “We need to be proactive in terms of prevention, in providing a real deterrent, and we need a full ban on their sale.”

He was commenting after new Government figures revealed that knife-enabled crime recorded by the police in the year ending December 2023 increased by seven per cent (49,489 offences), compared to the previous year (46,153 offences). However, figures are still three per cent lower than pre-pandemic levels.

The figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that 11 per cent of all knife-enabled crime offences were recorded by West Midlands Police. The Force saw an increase of eight per cent to 5,324, the ONS said.

Rich said there was ‘a crisis of confidence’ among officers about using their powers, such as stop and search.

“From a policing perspective, we’re most effective when our officers are confident to use their powers, and are trusted and empowered to do so,” he said.

“Stop and search has gone down and officers don’t feel confident to use it because they fear complaints and being dragged through the misconduct system for long periods of time.

“Inspectors are wary of using powers like Section 60 as a preventative measure. We see it as a reactive measure after a murder, but not very often as a preventative measure.”

Rich, who has been a vocal campaigner on knife crime, said the courts and the criminal justice system needed to get tough on sentencing.

“We see 40-odd per cent of repeat knife crime offenders walking free,” he said. "The problem is there aren’t the places in the prisons.

“This is the result of long-term underinvestment in prisons, courts and the criminal justice system.

“But we absolutely need deterrents and certain jail time for repeat offenders and probable jail time for first offenders.”

And he reiterated his call for a ban on the sale and marketing of numerous types of bladed weapons, which are available online for in the region of only £20.

He believes they are marketed at children and young adults, with examples including zombie style knives, 'Rambo' knives, 'Panther' machetes, 'Rainbow Ninja Swords' and doubled-sided axes, among many other descriptions.

“If you want to stab someone you can put your hand on a knife in any kitchen in the country, I get that,” he said.

“But kids are not carrying kitchen knives, they’re carrying zombie knives, Rambo knives, which are designed explicitly for stealth, concealment and for combat – to kill or to maim.

“They’re being marketed to them and they’re getting their hands on these weapons far too easily and cheaply, despite any supposed age-related checks they are getting through.”

He said where certain machetes were used in the agricultural industry there should be a strict definition and presented without marketing.

“It would remove a lot of the demand because the weapon would be designed in a way that’s not attractive to youth, but would still do a job for people who need one for their work,” he said.

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