Policing Minister Sarah Jones said removing the sharp tip from kitchen knives is an ‘interesting idea’ – and said knife arches in schools can be a ‘useful tool’
Sarah Jones speaks about tackling knife crime as she visits Brixton boxing gym
Labour’s policing chief has said she’s “keen” to explore rounding the tips of knives as a measure to stop fatal stabbings – as suggested by Idris Elba.
Sarah Jones told The Mirror that removing the sharp tip from kitchen knives is an “interesting idea” with evidence showing it could make a big difference.
She also said knife arches in schools can be a “useful tool” – but said it is up to headteachers to decide if they want to use them. The devastated parents of murder victim Harvey Willgoose have called for the arches to be installed in all secondary schools and colleges.
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Ms Jones said the Government has made big strides toward its pledge to halve knife crime within a decade after new data showed a fall in cases.
Campaigners including Luther star Idris have called for knives to have their tips rounded off. The actor said in January that people can still cut their food without the point on them and MPs have heard called for rounded kitchen knives to be commonplace.
Ms Jones said: “Well, I think the evidence base is kind of emerging that basically, you’ll have less than an injury if you if there’s a round-tipped knife. I’m keen to talk to manufacturers about how we can take that forward as one of the very many measures that we want to put in place.”
But she continued: “We’re giving the police more powers, and I think that’s we’re focusing there for now, but I think it’s an interesting conversation.”
Asked whether knife arches should be rolled out, the Home Office minister said: “I think knife arches are a really useful tool. It’s up to schools whether they want to use them in a school setting.
“When I’ve seen them used in communities alongside, for example, plain clothes policing, that’s really effective because you can see who’s avoiding the knife arch, and you can you have some behavior that might give the police some more clues about who’s carrying knives and who isn’t.
“I think our parents are understandably worried and concerned as our schools about how we tackle knife crime.”
It comes after the parents of Sheffield schoolboy Harvey called for the arches to be rolled out. The 15-year-old’s killer, Mohammed Umar Khan, stabbed him to death after taking a hunting knife to school in February.
Harvey’s mum Caroline last week said an arch at the entrance to the school could have saved his life. The Government is under pressure to tackle Britain’s knife crime epidemic, and Ms Jones said Labour’s record is “encouraging” – but admitted there is a long way to go.
Figures released last week show a a 5% drop in knife-related crime in a year. There were 51,527 knife offences in the 12 months to June, compared to 54,215 the previous year.
There was an 18% drop in knife homicides in the same period. Ms Jones said: “We’re absolutely moving in the right direction. Of course, every murder, every stabbing, is one too many, but we are determined to crack down on knife crime.
“I think the results that we’ve seen in the last year, we’ve turned a corner – knife crime was rising, now it’s beginning to come down. I think the overall knife crime figures, with the 5% reduction, plus the much bigger reduction in terms of homicides, I think, is really encouraging.”
She said targeting resources to hotspot policing, getting more police on the streets and tougher laws on the sale of knives have contributed to the fall. “All of these things come together to save lives and protect our communities,” she stated.
But the policing minister, who has been in post since September, said: “I’m not under any illusions that we’ve got a very long way go. The numbers are too high, we want to halve the numbers in 10 years.
“It’s great that we’re moving in the right direction, we’re saving lives, but there’s a long way to go.”
She said departments across Whitehall are working together to stop young people getting drawn into violence after youth services were “decimated” under the Tories.
“Lots of different service providers had to shrink what they do and we’re joined up in the way they need to be. We’re trying to knit those organisations back together so we’re doing the things that make the most difference.
“Whether that’s youth workers in A&E, whether it’s the mental health support for young people… what we’re doing in schools, all these things need to work together in a much more positive way.”
