New powers to tackle knife crime should go hand-in-hand with psychological support for young people, urges BPS

New powers to tackle knife crime should go hand-in-hand with psychological support for young people, members of the British Psychological Society have urged. 

In February, the government announced new legislation in tackling knife crime in the new Crime and Policing Bill.

But psychologists from the University of Nottingham say that tailored mental health support, alongside any new powers, could half the amount of knife crime, particularly among those living in deprived areas. 

New powers on knife crime, include:

• creating a power to seize, retain and destroy bladed articles found on private property
• increasing the maximum penalty for sale of dangerous weapons to under-18s
• creating a new criminal offence of possessing a bladed article with the intent to cause harm

In the year ending September 2024, police recorded over 55,000 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument.

Responding to the news, authors of the research "Knife crime offender characteristics and interventions – A systematic review" and BPS members Professor Kevin Browne, Dr Sandra Jareno-Ripoll and Dr Elizabeth Paddock said: 

"An increase in powers to help police tackle the devastating impact of knife crime is welcome news. 

"Any legislative changes however must go hand in hand with ensuring tailored psychological support is available for young people. This is vital for those in inner-city deprived communities and such support should be embedded across employment, training, education and housing.

"This is an effective way of tackling the root causes of knife crime and research shows it can result in a 50 per cent reduction in young people carrying knives. Increased investment in young people's mental health services would also make a significant impact as according to research, two-thirds of knife crime offenders acting alone have mental health problems."

ENDS