(Image Credits: Associated Press)

An anti-knife crime charity has called for the government to do more to tackle the underlying causes of violence in the capital. The CEO of Steel Warriors, Ben Wintour, says the government’s actions only address ‘the tip of the iceberg’ and that ‘a lot more needs to be done.’

Last week, the Home Office announced strict new measures that will force knife retailers to implement verification checks to prevent teenagers from purchasing knives online. This includes a two-step system in which customers are asked to submit photographic ID and a utility bill at point of purchase, followed by presenting ID again on delivery.

The announcement comes after it emerged that Southport attacker Axel Rudakubana, who pleaded guilty to the murders of three young girls, had ordered a knife off online-retailer Amazon at the age of 17.

According to data released by Murdermap, of the six homicides in London so far this year, half were incidents of knife crime. The stabbing of a 14-year old boy on a bus in Woolwich, South East London, on January 7 shocked communities. Data from the Office for National Statistics suggests knife-related crime in the capital increased by 16% in the year ending September 2024, with an 80% increase in England and Wales over the last decade.

London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan has received criticism as a spike in knife crime coincides with his tenure. Khan argues that it correlates with the devastating spending cuts in policing and youth services during the previous government’s fourteen years in power with up to a £1 billion in cuts since 2012.

Are positive changes on the horizon? With greater restrictions and new legislation that bans zombie knives and machetes, Steel Warriors say the government is making strides in the right direction.

In his Police and Crime Plan for 2025–2029, Sir Sadiq outlines plans to make the city safer by being tough on crime and its underlying causes. In his latest budget, Khan announced an additional £151 million for the Metropolitan Police. The plan also ties deprivation with knife crime and sets out greater collaboration between the Met Police and partner agencies including councils, health services and Transport for London.

Wintour states that school exclusions remain a persistent problem. He says that upon exclusion, young people find few financially viable opportunities and so ‘turn to an employer who won’t discriminate: gangs’.