A Home Office-backed knife crime campaign has been launched in Westminster, Croydon and Birmingham.

The ‘No Place for Knives’ campaign will include adverts appearing at tube stations, bus stops and on social media, as well as a mural at Boxpark Croydon.

The ads will raise awareness of increased police activity, including, smarter metal detection, rapid response e-bikes, extra foot patrols and live facial recognition. 

The campaign has been developed by the Home Office with police and local authorities and is aimed at those most at risk of committing knife crime.

The London hotspots, along with 16 other boroughs in Greater London, have received over £8.1 million of funding through the Home Office’s Knife Crime Concentrations Fund to roll out targeted interventions to tackle knife crime. As well as the enforcement measures in the campaign adverts, this funding will cover prevention approaches such as youth outreach and visible local safety patrols in busy night-time economy areas.

Recent data shows that knife crime has fallen 11% since the General Election, while knife-related homicides have fallen by 25 per cent and knife-enabled robbery is down by 18 per cent. In London, knife crime has fallen by 14 per cent over the same period, while knife-related homicides have fallen by 34 per cent and knife-enabled robbery is down by 19 per cent.  

The campaign forms part of the government’s wider mission to halve knife crime in a decade.

Policing and Crime Minister Sarah Jones said: "Everyone in Westminster and Croydon deserves to feel safe on their streets. We know that hearing of knife crime incidents happening in your city can have the opposite effect and we want to stop that. We’re working with police to target knife crime where it causes the greatest harm, using intelligence and cutting-edge technology to make our communities safer.  

"‘No Place for Knives’ sends a clear message: action is being taken and we will not accept people putting young lives and our communities at risk."

Commander Pete Stevens of the Metropolitan Police said: "We know the devastating impact knife crime has – not just on families who have lost loved ones but on entire communities. Our officers work tirelessly to combat this senseless violence, proactively directing our resources towards the people who pose the most risk.  

"These tactics are working. In the last financial year knife-enabled crime fell by 14.9% across London and over the last 5 years the number of people hospitalised after being attacked with a sharp weapon has fallen by 29%.  

"We will continue to target violent criminals who threaten our communities. Every knife removed and every suspect arrested has the potential to prevent serious harm or save a life."