Introduce a minimum sentence for carrying a knife, equal to carrying a firearm.

There should be a statutory minimum sentence for those found carrying a knife, the same as if carrying a firearm. With the reported 33% increase in knife crime since 2011 it is clear that there needs to be serious consideration for the punishment for those carrying offensive weapons.

The cycle needs to stop and the only way positive results will become evident and we will see a reduction in young murders is if we tighten up on sentencing for those carrying a knife.

If a young person is caught with a knife and it is their first offence they potentially have no further punishment with the current policy’s around knife crime in place. Unlike those caught with a firearm. How many of those have been let off lightly for knife crimes have then gone on to re offend and use a knife?

The Government’s priority is to keep people safe, and is clear that the courts must have the powers they need to effectively sentence offenders. Sentencing should always match the severity of the crime. We understand the devastating impact knife crime has on victims and their families, and are determined to put a stop to violent crimes that involve knives.

Parliament has provided sentencing rules to give courts powers they need to effectively deal with the range of offences and offenders which come before them. Where someone is actually harmed by a knife or offensive weapon, there are a range of offences that the person may be charged with, such as causing grievous bodily harm. These can result in lengthy sentences, including life imprisonment. For offenders aged 18 and over who bring a knife or another weapon to the scene of a murder with the intention of using it, courts will consider a minimum term spent in custody of at least 25 years.

In 2015, we introduced minimum custodial sentences for repeat knife possession and offences that involve threatening with a weapon. Adults face a minimum of 6 months’ imprisonment whilst young people aged 16 or 17 face a minimum 4-month Detention and Training Order. Since the introduction of the minimum custodial term people caught carrying a knife or offensive weapon for a second time are now more likely than ever before to go to receive a custodial sentence – in 2019, 86% of offenders received a custodial sentence for repeat possession offences. We have no plans to increase the minimum sentence for carrying a knife.