Record numbers of knives taken off streets

Nearly 60,000 knives have been taken off the streets in England and Wales under the current government.

Knife homicides have fallen by almost 20 per cent while knife crime overall has fallen for the first time in 4 years, dropping by 5 per cent.

Figures from the NHS also show 10 per cent fall in admissions for knife assaults.

Ninja swords were banned last summer and ahead of the ban, the government launched a month-long surrender scheme with 40 new surrender bins and a mobile van in parts of London, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands.

7,512 knives and weapons were surrendered through the ninja sword surrender and compensation scheme, handed in to the mobile surrender van or dropped into surrender bins in the most recent surrender scheme.

47,795 zombie-style knives and machetes were surrendered last year; 3334 knives seized by Border Force and 618 recovered through County Lines Programme operations.

Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said: "Too many young lives are lost each year to knife crime.

"This government is determined to halve knife crime. We are making progress, but we won’t stop until we meet that goal.

"We will pursue this mission relentlessly, doing everything we can to get these weapons off our streets."

Knife crime campaigner Pooja Kanda said: "After my son Ronan was killed with a ninja sword bought online, I worked with the government to deliver Ronan’s Law, banning these weapons and introducing strict checks.

"Thanks to the new amnesty scheme, which took place a month before the ban was implemented, over 7,500 dangerous weapons have already been surrendered, and knife-enabled robberies have fallen nationally by 10%, with a nearly 30% drop in the West Midlands region.

"Real change is happening — in memory of Ronan and for the safety of every young person. I am grateful to the government for taking real action and making real change."