A quarter of convictions and cautions for knife crime in London were given to boys last year, recent figures show.
By Sonja Tutty, Data Reporter
A quarter of convictions and cautions for knife crime in London were given to boys last year, recent figures show.
A knife crime prevention charity said the crime statistics show a “deeply entrenched problem”, adding targeted interventions to address toxic masculinity are “crucial”.
Analysis of Ministry of Justice figures by RADAR shows 814 of the 3,298 (25%) convictions and cautions handed to knife crime offenders in London in the year to September 2024 were to boys aged 10 to 17.
Of the sentences for young male offenders, 802 were for possession of a knife or offensive weapon and 15 were for threatening with a knife or offensive weapon.
Across England and Wales, 17% of knife crime convictions or cautions last year were given to boys.
Patrick Green, chief executive of the Ben Kinsella Trust, said: “The fact that knife carrying begins as young as 10 and escalates with age, coupled with the lack of significant progress in reducing these numbers, demonstrates a deeply entrenched problem.
“To tackle this, we must address the specific factors influencing young males, including societal pressures, access to weapons, and the prevalence of violent content on social media.
“Targeted interventions, focusing on early intervention, education, mentorship, and addressing underlying issues like toxic masculinity and lack of opportunity, are crucial to breaking this cycle of violence.”
Looking at all convictions or cautions for juvenile knife crime in London, 96% were given to male offenders.
Boys similarly made up the vast majority (94%) of convictions and cautions handed to child knife crime offenders in England and Wales.
It comes as the Education Secretary said she wants more men in the classroom “teaching, guiding, leading” boys.
Bridget Phillipson warned in a speech this week of the “toxic online influences” and the need to “raise a generation of boys with the strength to reject that hatred”.
The comments come amid a national conversation about the internet and children, partly prompted by recent Netflix drama Adolescence, and just weeks after ex-England manager Sir Gareth Southgate said many young men end up “searching for direction” and fill the void with a “new kind of role model who do not have their best interest at heart”.
It also follows Sir Keir Starmer’s discussion with the show’s creators, where he said he wanted to talk about “what can we do as a society to stop and prevent young boys being dragged into this whirlpool of hatred and misogyny”.
Netflix said it would make the series free to stream for all secondary schools across the UK.
Minister for Policing and Crime Prevention Dame Diana Johnson said the Government’s aim to halve knife crime over a decade will be delivered through “tougher enforcement and stronger prevention”.
She said: “We will pursue every avenue to protect young people.
“This is why we are bringing in Ronan’s Law to stop knives from being sold illegally online, why we have banned zombie-style knives and machetes and why we are delivering 13,000 new neighbourhood police officers to make our communities safer.”
She added: “We are developing a Young Futures programme which will intervene earlier, identifying and supporting vulnerable children to divert them from crime.”
