2. Knife and offensive weapon offences overview
5. Sentencing under section 28 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act (CJCA) 2015
7. Future publications and contact details for any queries or feedback
This publication presents key statistics describing the trends in the number of offenders receiving cautions and convictions for
possession of an article with a blade or point
possession of an offensive weapon, or
threatening with either type of weapon
in England and Wales. It should be noted that figures for the latest year have been estimated and should be treated as provisional. Please refer to the technical guide for further details.
As well as this bulletin, the following products are published as part of this release:
ODS format tables containing data on knife or offensive weapon offences up to March 2020
An interactive table tool to look at previous offences involving possession of a blade, point or offensive weapon. The tool provides further breakdowns by gender, police identified ethnicity and prosecuting police force area. The data used in the tool is also included as a separate csv file.
An interactive https://moj-analytical-services.github.io/knife_possession_sankey/index.html" class="govuk-link">Sankey diagram looking at outcomes for offenders sentenced for these offences by whether or not they have a previous conviction or caution for possession of a blade, point or offensive weapon; which includes breakdowns by gender, age group and offence type.
Point | Change | Commentary |
---|---|---|
The number of knife and offensive weapon offences dealt with by the Criminal Justice System (CJS) had been increasing since 2014 but stabilised in the latest year. | Decrease | In year ending March 2020 21,498 knife and offensive weapon offences were formally dealt with by the CJS, a decrease of 3% since year ending March 2019. This comes after a rise of 35% from 16,431 in year ending March 2014 to 22,124 year ending March 2019. |
The proportion of offenders receiving an immediate custodial sentence for a knife and offensive weapon offence has remained stable for the last three years at around 38%. | Increase | Between year ending March 2010 and year ending March 2017 there was an increase in the proportion of offenders receiving an immediate custodial sentence for a knife and offensive weapon offence, from 23% to 35%, but the trend has been broadly stable at 38% over the last three years. The average length of the custodial sentences received increased from 6.5 months in year ending March 2010 to 8.1 months in year ending March 2020. |
For just under three quarters (71%) of offenders this was their first knife or offensive weapon possession offence. | Decrease | The proportion of offenders for whom this is their first knife or offensive weapon possession offence has been decreasing over the last decade, from 80% in the year ending March 2010 to 71% in the year ending March 2020. |
The average custodial sentence received by offenders sentenced under section 28 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 was 7.9 months in year ending March 2020. | Increase | This has risen since year ending March 2017, the first full year after the legislation was established, where it was 7.1 months. |
The number of knife and offensive weapon offences dealt with by the Criminal Justice System (CJS) has b
2. Knife and offensive weapon offences overview
5. Sentencing under the Sentencing Act 2020
7. Future publications and contact details for any queries or feedback
This publication presents key statistics describing the trends in the number of offenders receiving cautions and convictions for
possession of an article with a blade or point
possession of an offensive weapon, or
threatening with either type of weapon
in England and Wales. Please note that cases still awaiting final decisions are no longer accounted for using estimation methodology. These are generally cases in the latest periods and are now counted as ‘other’ disposals until final decisions are made unless separately specified.
As well as this bulletin, the following products are published as part of this release:
ODS format tables containing data on knife or offensive weapon offences up to December 2022
An interactive table tool to look at previous offences involving possession of a blade, point or offensive weapon. The tool provides further breakdowns by gender, police identified ethnicity and prosecuting police force area. The data used in the tool is also included as a separate csv file.
An interactive https://moj-analytical-services.github.io/knife_possession_sankey/index.html" class="govuk-link">Sankey diagram looking at outcomes for offenders sentenced for these offences by whether or not they have a previous conviction or caution for possession of a blade, point or offensive weapon; which includes breakdowns by gender, age group and offence type.
This publication covers the period from 2012 to 2022. In the last three years of this period the work of the courts has been impacted by the restrictions imposed in response to the COVID pandemic, which led to court closures and subsequent backlogs, as well as any effects of the industrial action by criminal barristers taking place between April 2022 and October 2022. This should be borne in mind when making comparisons.
Point | Change | Commentary |
---|---|---|
The number of knife and offensive weapon offences dealt with by the Criminal Justice System (CJS) has decreased since 2021 but is still higher than at the very start of the pandemic. | Decrease | In 2022 19,292 knife and offensive weapon offences were dealt with by the CJS. This is a decrease of 2% from 2021, and a decrease of 14% from 2019 before the pandemic; but is 4% higher than 2020 when the work of the courts was impacted by the restrictions imposed. |
The proportion of offenders receiving an immediate custodial sentence for a knife and offensive weapon offence fell from 38% in 2019 to 30% 2022. | Decrease | This had been broadly stable at around 37%-38% between 2017 and 2019 before falling over subsequent years to 30% in 2022. In this period there was a corresponding increase in the proportion of offenders receiving a suspended sentence from 20% in 2019 to 25% in 2022. |
For 70% of offenders this was their first knife or offensive weapon possession offence. | Decrease | The proportion of offenders for whom this is their first knife or offensive weapon possession offence has decreased over the last decade, from 75% in 2012 to 70% in 2022 but has been broadly stable between 71% and 70% since 2019. |
The average custodial sentence received by offenders convicted for repeat possession offences under Section 315 of the Sentencing Act 2020 was 7.7 months in 2022. | Increase | This had decreased from 7.8 months in 2019 to 7.4 months in both 2020 and 2021 but increased again in 2022. |
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2. Knife and offensive weapon offences overview
5. Sentencing under section 28 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act (CJCA) 2015
7. Future publications and contact details for any queries or feedback
This publication presents key statistics describing the trends in the number of offenders receiving cautions and convictions for
possession of an article with a blade or point
possession of an offensive weapon, or
threatening with either type of weapon
in England and Wales. It should be noted that figures for the latest year have been estimated and should be treated as provisional. Please refer to the technical guide for further details.
As well as this bulletin, the following products are published as part of this release:
ODS format tables containing data on knife or offensive weapon offences up to March 2020
An interactive table tool to look at previous offences involving possession of a blade, point or offensive weapon. The tool provides further breakdowns by gender, police identified ethnicity and prosecuting police force area. The data used in the tool is also included as a separate csv file.
An interactive https://moj-analytical-services.github.io/knife_possession_sankey/index.html" class="govuk-link">Sankey diagram looking at outcomes for offenders sentenced for these offences by whether or not they have a previous conviction or caution for possession of a blade, point or offensive weapon; which includes breakdowns by gender, age group and offence type.
Point | Change | Commentary |
---|---|---|
The number of knife and offensive weapon offences dealt with by the Criminal Justice System (CJS) had been increasing since 2014 but stabilised in the latest year. | Decrease | In year ending March 2020 21,498 knife and offensive weapon offences were formally dealt with by the CJS, a decrease of 3% since year ending March 2019. This comes after a rise of 35% from 16,431 in year ending March 2014 to 22,124 year ending March 2019. |
The proportion of offenders receiving an immediate custodial sentence for a knife and offensive weapon offence has remained stable for the last three years at around 38%. | Increase | Between year ending March 2010 and year ending March 2017 there was an increase in the proportion of offenders receiving an immediate custodial sentence for a knife and offensive weapon offence, from 23% to 35%, but the trend has been broadly stable at 38% over the last three years. The average length of the custodial sentences received increased from 6.5 months in year ending March 2010 to 8.1 months in year ending March 2020. |
For just under three quarters (71%) of offenders this was their first knife or offensive weapon possession offence. | Decrease | The proportion of offenders for whom this is their first knife or offensive weapon possession offence has been decreasing over the last decade, from 80% in the year ending March 2010 to 71% in the year ending March 2020. |
The average custodial sentence received by offenders sentenced under section 28 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 was 7.9 months in year ending March 2020. | Increase | This has risen since year ending March 2017, the first full year after the legislation was established, where it was 7.1 months. |
The number of knife and offensive weapon offences dealt with by the Criminal Justice System (CJS) has b