Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of domestic abuse on levels of knife crime.

Physical abuse, violent or threatening behaviour often form part of controlling or coercive behaviour. As set out in the statutory guidance under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 on controlling or coercive behaviour, this can involve use, or threats of use, of ‘weapons’, such as knives, and coercing the victim into carrying out criminal behaviour such as carrying weapons.

This government will treat tackling violence against women and girls as a national emergency. As part of our mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, we will ask the police to relentlessly pursue those perpetrators who pose the greatest risk to women.

We are clear that this is not a problem that can be solved by one government department, by one piece of legislation, or by one agency. It will require focused, coordinated, and joined up long-term action between all our key partners.