Proportion of repeat knife offenders handed jail terms falls despite a ‘two strikes and you’re out’ law_Nhy
The proportion of repeat knife offenders handed jail terms has fallen by five per cent despite a ‘two strikes and you’re out’ law.
It means judges are allowing growing numbers of knife-wielding thugs to get away with a slap on the wrist.
Out of 4,236 adults sentenced for a repeat knife offence in the 12 months to September, only 2,431 – 60 per cent – were handed immediate custody compared with 65 per cent in previous year.
In 2017 the figure was 69 per cent.
Crime data previously published by the Office for National Statistics showed knife crime jumped four per cent to 55,008 incidents recorded by police during the same period.
Laws introduced by Parliament a decade ago set out that adults convicted more than once of possessing a blade should be sent down for at least six months.
However, the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 granted judges a get-out clause, enabling them to impose a softer sentence if it would be ‘unjust’ to send offenders to jail.
Latest figures show that of the 4,236 adult repeat offenders more than 1,500 were handed softer sentences.
Only 60 per cent of repeated knife offenders have been handed immediate custody in statistics recorded from September 2023 to September 2024, down nearly 10 per cent since 2017 (file image)
In particular, 1,086 received a suspended sentence, 246 were handed a community sentence and 22 were fined.
The MoJ figures also showed the overall number of knife criminals punished in the 12 months to September increased fractionally year-on-year by 0.3 per cent.
In all, 20,126 knife offenders were dealt with by the criminal justice system – and were either charged or given a caution.
Earlier this week Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced a crackdown on knife crime as part of the Government’s pledge to halve levels within a decade.
The maximum sentence for selling knives to children will quadruple to two years’ imprisonment.
Online firms will also be required to report suspicious or bulk purchases to residential addresses, while a new dedicated police unit will be piloted up to target illegal and underage knife sales.
In addition, Labour will introduce a new offence targeted at those who carry knives.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper (pictured) is leading the Labour Government’s pledge to halve knife crime levels within ten years
It will become illegal to ‘possess an offensive weapon with intent for violence’, carrying up to four years’ imprisonment.
The new offence mirrors proposals set out last year in a Bill by the previous Conservative government, which was dropped due to the general election being called.
The package of measures is dubbed ‘Ronan’s Law’ in memory of 16-year-old Ronan Kanda, from Wolverhampton, who was fatally stabbed with a ‘ninja sword’ in a case of mistaken identity in 2022.
Separately, an official Home Office report published this week recommended creating a new law to ban anyone with a conviction or caution for violence from owning knives.
Ministers are still deciding whether to take forward the proposal.
