West Midlands surpasses London to become knife crime capital of UK

The West Midlands now has a higher knife crime rate than London, making it the worst in England and Wales.

The grim statistic is defined by the number of crimes that use blades, and is measured per every 100,000 people in the population.

This year, the figure has risen to 180, which equates to 5,234 cases in total across the area. Increasing from 167 last year, it means that the county now has the highest knife crime rate in the UK.

London previously took this title, but this year reported a smaller 165 incidences of knife crime per 100,000 people.

These figures have been brought to particular attention after a teenager was murdered by a pair of 12-year-olds. 19-year-old Shawn Seesahai was fatally injured with a blade, sparking questions around the use of these weapons by teenagers.

More young people are carrying knives now because their school friends are being stabbed and they don’t feel safe, even at school

Malachi Nunes, West Midlands anti-knife crime mentor

Speaking to The Telegraph, Commander Stephen Clayman, the National Lead for policing knife crime, said the accessibility of knives online was “a really concerning picture” for law enforcement.

The effect that this has on young people is widespread. It can take a toll on the mental health of children and teenagers, creating a lack of security.

Malachi Nunes, a West Midlands anti-knife crime mentor, told the BBC: “More young people are carrying knives now because their school friends are being stabbed and they don’t feel safe, even at school.”

Whilst knives are often carried by older teenagers, they are also increasingly in the possession of younger children. Nearly one in 100 of those aged 10 and 11 admitted they had carried knives, according to figures from the Ben Kinsella Trust.

This worrying trend, alongside the West Midlands’ new, unwanted title, signals the necessity for action to be taken to reduce knife crime in the region.

Encouragingly, however, Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures show that total crime across the county has fallen by 5%.