Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help reduce knife crime in Sutton.

Halving knife crime over the next decade is a key part of the Government’s Safer Streets mission and we are taking a range of steps to realise this ambition.

We have implemented the ban on zombie-style knives and zombie-style machetes approved by Parliament in April. The ban came in to force on 24 September 2024 and it is now illegal to sell or own these weapons.

We launched a consultation on 13 November 2024 seeking views on the legal description of a Ninja sword to help our plans for an effective ban.

We know that more needs to be done to tackle the sale of knives online which is why last October, the Home Secretary commissioned Commander Stephen Clayman, as the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for knife crime, to carry out a full review into the online sale and delivery of knives. The report was received at the end of January and once we have considered the review in full, the Government will set out its next steps for strengthening the controls and processes around the online sale and delivery of knives.

Ahead of this, the Home Secretary has already announced that the Government intends to strengthen age verification controls and checks for all online sellers of knives at the point of purchase and on delivery.

We have also consulted on introducing personal liability measures on senior executives of online platforms or marketplaces who fail to take action to remove illegal content relating to knives and offensive weapons. The consultation closed on 11 December 2024, and we are carefully considering the responses as we plan our next steps.

Additionally, over £9.3m has been made available this financial year to the London Violence Reduction Unit (VRU). VRUs bring together police, local government, health, community leaders and other key partners to tackle violent crime and its underlying causes. London VRU is using this funding to deliver a range of interventions across all 32 boroughs to divert young people from a life of crime. This includes intensive mentoring by YOUthink for children and young people in Sutton to reduce re-offending.

We have also created a new Young Futures programme, which will include the establishment of Young Futures Prevention Partnerships across England and Wales, bringing partners together to intervene earlier to stop young people being drawn into crime. It is vital we have a system that can identify and support those young people who need it most.