Knife and Offensive Weapon Sentencing Statistics: April to June 2021
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Updated Nov 18, 2021
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EmailClick to copy linkLink copiedCiteMinistry of Justice (2021). Knife and Offensive Weapon Sentencing Statistics: April to June 2021 [Dataset]. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/knife-and-offensive-weapon-sentencing-statistics-april-to-june-2021Dataset updatedNov 18, 2021AuthorsMinistry of JusticeDescriptionContents
2. Knife and offensive weapon offences overview
5. Sentencing under Sentencing under section 315 of 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.
Accompanying files
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 June 2021
-
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.
The period covered by this publication includes the fifth quarter (April to June 21) of data since restrictions were put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Comparisons between the latest year and 2020 will be affected by the pandemic, and quarterly comparisons and comparisons to 2019 may be used to highlight impacts where useful.
Main points
Point Change Commentary The number of knife and offensive weapon offences dealt with by the Criminal Justice System (CJS) has increased after a dip in year ending June 2020. Increase In year ending June 2021 20,726 knife and offensive weapon offences were formally dealt with by the CJS. This is an increase of 12% since year ending June 2020, which includes the dip in Q2 2020 after COVID restrictions were imposed, but is 8% lower than in year ending June 2019 before the start of the pandemic. The proportion of offenders receiving an immediate custodial sentence for a knife and offensive weapon offence decreased to 29% in year ending June 2021 Decrease This had been stable at around 38% on average between year ending June 2018 and year ending June 2020 but then dropped in year ending June 2021. In this period there was a corresponding increase in the proportion of offenders receiving a suspended sentence or community sentence. For 72% 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 78% in year ending June 2011 to 72% in year ending June 2021 but has been roughly stable since year ending June 2018. The average custodial sentence received by offenders sentenced under Section 315 of the Sentencing Act 2020 was 7.5 months in year ending June 2021 Decrease This had risen between year ending June 2017 (the first full year after the legislation was introduced) and year ending June 2020 but fell in year ending J Knife and offensive weapon sentencing statistics: year ending March 2021
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Updated Aug 19, 2021ShareFacebookTwitterEmailClick to copy linkLink copiedCiteMinistry of Justice (2021). Knife and offensive weapon sentencing statistics: year ending March 2021 [Dataset]. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/knife-and-offensive-weapon-sentencing-statistics-year-ending-march-2021Dataset updatedAug 19, 2021AuthorsMinistry of JusticeDescriptionContents
2. Knife and offensive weapon offences overview
5. Sentencing under Sentencing under section 315 of 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.
Accompanying files
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 2021
-
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.
The period covered by this publication includes the fourth quarter of data since restrictions were put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic from March 2020. Where possible, the publication highlights the impact by presenting quarterly changes in addition to the usual year-on-year comparisons.
Main points
Point Change Commentary The number of knife and offensive weapon offences dealt with by the Criminal Justice System (CJS) had been increasing since year ending March 2014 but has decreased since the start of the pandemic. Decrease In year ending March 2021 18,553 knife and offensive weapon offences were formally dealt with by the CJS, a decrease of 14% since year ending March 2020. This comes after a rise of 35% between year ending March 2014 and year ending March 2019 and is likely to have been driven by the pandemic, particularly in Q2 2020. The proportion of offenders receiving an immediate custodial sentence for a knife and offensive weapon offence decreased to 31% in year ending March 2021 Decrease This had been stable at around 38% between year ending March 2018 and year ending March 2020 but is likely to have been affected by changes during the pandemic, and a higher number of cases still going through the court than in other years which are no longer accounted for. For 72% 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 79% in year ending March 2011 to 72% in year ending March 2021 but has been stable at around 72% since year ending March 2018. The average custodial sentence received by offenders sentenced under Sentencing under section 315 of the Sentencing Act 2020 was 7.4 months in year ending March 2021 Decrease This had risen between year ending March 2017, the first full year after the legislation was introduced, and year ending March 2020 but in year ending March 2021 Knife and offensive weapon sentencing statistics: year ending December 2020
- gov.uk
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Updated Aug 19, 2021ShareFacebookTwitterEmailClick to copy linkLink copiedCiteMinistry of Justice (2021). Knife and offensive weapon sentencing statistics: year ending December 2020 [Dataset]. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/knife-and-offensive-weapon-sentencing-statistics-year-ending-december-2020Dataset updatedAug 19, 2021AuthorsMinistry of JusticeDescriptionContents
2. Knife and offensive weapon offences overview
5. Sentencing under section 315 of 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, from this publication, 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.
Accompanying files
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 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.
The period covered by this publication includes the third quarter of data since restrictions were put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic from March 2020. Where possible, the publication highlights the impact by presenting quarterly changes in addition to the usual year-on-year comparisons.
Main points
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 has decreased since the start of the pandemic. Decrease In 2020 18,455 knife and offensive weapon offences were formally dealt with by the CJS, a decrease of 18% since 2019. This comes after a rise of 38% between 2013 and 2019 and is likely to have been driven by the pandemic, particularly in Q2 2020. The proportion of offenders receiving an immediate custodial sentence for a knife and offensive weapon offence decreased to 32% in 2020. Decrease This had been stable at around 37% between 2017 and 2019 but is likely to have been affected by changes during the pandemic, and a higher number of cases still going through the court than in other years which are no longer accounted for using estimation methodology. For 72% 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 79% in 2010 to 72% in 2020 but has been stable at around 71% since 2017. The average custodial sentence received by offenders sentenced under section 315 of the Sentencing Act 2020 was 7.5 months in 2020 Decrease This had risen between 2016, the first full year after the legislation was introduced, and 2019 but in 2020 fell back almost to levels seen in 2017. 1. Statistician’s comment
Today’s publication, covering the period to December
Knife and Offensive Weapon Sentencing Statistics: October to December 2021
- gov.uk
- s3.amazonaws.com
Updated May 19, 2022ShareFacebookTwitterEmailClick to copy linkLink copiedCiteMinistry of Justice (2022). Knife and Offensive Weapon Sentencing Statistics: October to December 2021 [Dataset]. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/knife-and-offensive-weapon-sentencing-statistics-october-to-december-2021Dataset updatedMay 19, 2022AuthorsMinistry of JusticeDescriptionContents
2. Knife and offensive weapon offences overview
4. Offending History and Other Offences
5. Sentencing under Sentencing under section 315 of 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.
Accompanying files
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 the end of 2021
-
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.
Please note this publication covers data that is likely to be impacted from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Comparisons of the latest year with 2019 and 2020 will be affected by changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, and quarterly comparisons and comparisons to 2019 may be used to highlight impacts where useful.
Main points
Point Change Commentary The number of knife and offensive weapon offences dealt with by the Criminal Justice System (CJS) has increased after a dip in 2020. Increase In 2021 19,543 knife and offensive weapon offences were formally dealt with by the CJS. This is an increase of 6% since 2020, which includes the dip in Q2 2020 after COVID restrictions were imposed but is 13% lower than in 2019 before the start of the pandemic and similar to the level seen in 2016. The proportion of offenders receiving an immediate custodial sentence for a knife and offensive weapon offence decreased to 29% in 2021. Decrease This had been stable at around 37%-38% between 2017 and 2019 but dropped between then and 2021. In this period there was a corresponding increase in the proportion of offenders receiving a suspended sentence or, to a lesser extent, a community sentence. For 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 77% in 2011 to 71% in 2021 but has been roughly stable since 2017. The average custodial sentence received by offenders sentenced under Section 315 of the Sentencing Act 2020 was 7.4 months in 2021 Decrease This had risen from 7.2 months in 2016 (the first full year after the legislation was introduced) to 7.8 months in 2019 but has fallen in the last two years to the level seen in 2017. 1. Stati
Knife and Offensive Weapon Sentencing Statistics: April to June 2022
- gov.uk
- s3.amazonaws.com
Updated Nov 17, 2022ShareFacebookTwitterEmailClick to copy linkLink copiedCiteMinistry of Justice (2022). Knife and Offensive Weapon Sentencing Statistics: April to June 2022 [Dataset]. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/knife-and-offensive-weapon-sentencing-statistics-april-to-june-2022Dataset updatedNov 17, 2022AuthorsMinistry of JusticeDescriptionContents
2. Knife and offensive weapon offences overview
5. Sentencing under Sentencing under section 315 of 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.
Accompanying files
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 the end of June 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 year ending June 2012 to year ending June 2022. The last three years of this period have been impacted by COVID and the restrictions imposed in response to the pandemic at various points since March 2020, and this should be borne in mind when making comparisons.
Main points
Point Change Commentary The number of knife and offensive weapon offences dealt with by the Criminal Justice System (CJS) has decreased since year ending June 2021 but is still higher than at the very start of the pandemic. Decrease In year ending June 2022 19,448 knife and offensive weapon offences were formally dealt with by the CJS. This is a decrease of 7% since year ending June 2021, but is 5% higher than in year ending June 2020 which includes the lockdown at the very start of the pandemic. The proportion of offenders receiving an immediate custodial sentence for a knife and offensive weapon offence decreased to 30% in year ending June 2022. Decrease This had been stable at around 38%-39% between year ending June 2018 and year ending June 2020 but dropped between then and year ending June 2022. In this period there was a corresponding increase in the proportion of offenders receiving a suspended sentence or community sentence. 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 been decreasing over the last decade, from 76% in year ending June 2012 to 70% in year ending June 2022 but has been roughly stable since year ending June 2018. The average custodial sentence received by offenders sentenced under Section 315 of the Sentencing Act 2020 was 7.5 months in year ending June 2022. No change This is unchanged since year ending June 2021 but was 0.3 months lower than in year ending June 2019, the last whole 12-month period before the pandemic. Knife and offensive weapon sentencing statistics: year ending March 2022
- gov.uk
- s3.amazonaws.com
Updated Aug 18, 2022ShareFacebookTwitterEmailClick to copy linkLink copiedCiteMinistry of Justice (2022). Knife and offensive weapon sentencing statistics: year ending March 2022 [Dataset]. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/knife-and-offensive-weapon-sentencing-statistics-year-ending-march-2022Dataset updatedAug 18, 2022AuthorsMinistry of JusticeDescriptionContents
2. Knife and offensive weapon offences overview
5. Sentencing under Sentencing under section 315 of 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.
Accompanying files
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 the end of March 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 year ending March 2012 to year ending March 2022. The last two years of this period have been impacted by COVID and the restrictions imposed in response to the pandemic at various points since March 2020, and this should be borne in mind when making comparisons.
Main points
Point Change Commentary The number of knife and offensive weapon offences dealt with by the Criminal Justice System (CJS) has increased after falling in year ending March 2021 but is still lower than before the pandemic. Increase In year ending March 2022 19,555 knife and offensive weapon offences were formally dealt with by the CJS. This is an increase of 5% since year ending March 2021, but is 9% lower than in year ending March 2020 before the start of the pandemic. The proportion of offenders receiving an immediate custodial sentence for a knife and offensive weapon offence decreased to 30% in year ending March 2022. Decrease This had been stable at around 37%-38% between year ending March 2018 and year ending March 2020 but dropped between then and year ending March 2022. In this period there was a corresponding increase in the proportion of offenders receiving a suspended sentence. For 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 76% in year ending March 2012 to 71% in year ending March 2022 but has been roughly stable since year ending March 2018. The average custodial sentence received by offenders sentenced under Section 315 of the Sentencing Act 2020 was 7.5 months in year ending March 2022 Increase This increased a little from 7.4 months in year ending March 2021 but was 0.3 months lower than in year ending March 2020 before the pandemic and just below the level seen in March 2018 shortly after the legislation was introduced.</ Knife and Offensive Weapon Sentencing Statistics: July to September 2021
- gov.uk
- s3.amazonaws.com
Updated Feb 17, 2022ShareFacebookTwitterEmailClick to copy linkLink copiedCiteMinistry of Justice (2022). Knife and Offensive Weapon Sentencing Statistics: July to September 2021 [Dataset]. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/knife-and-offensive-weapon-sentencing-statistics-july-to-september-2021Dataset updatedFeb 17, 2022AuthorsMinistry of JusticeDescriptionContents
2. Knife and offensive weapon offences overview
4. Offending History and Other Offences
5. Sentencing under Sentencing under section 315 of 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.
Accompanying files
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 September 2021
-
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.
The period covered by this publication includes the sixth quarter (July to September 2021) of data since restrictions were put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Comparisons between the latest year and 2020 will be affected by the pandemic, and quarterly comparisons and comparisons to 2019 may be used to highlight impacts where useful.
Main points
Point Change Commentary The number of knife and offensive weapon offences dealt with by the Criminal Justice System (CJS) has increased after a dip in year ending September 2020. Increase In year ending September 2021 20,202 knife and offensive weapon offences were formally dealt with by the CJS. This is an increase of 10% since year ending September 2020, which includes the dip in Q2 2020 after COVID restrictions were imposed but is 10% lower than in year ending September 2019 before the start of the pandemic and similar to the level seen in year ending September 2017. The proportion of offenders receiving an immediate custodial sentence for a knife and offensive weapon offence decreased to 28% in year ending September 2021. Decrease This had been stable at around 36%-38% between year ending September 2017 and year ending September 2020 but then dropped in year ending September 2021. In this period there was a corresponding increase in the proportion of offenders receiving a suspended sentence or, to a lesser extent, a community sentence. For 72% 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 77% in year ending September 2011 to 72% in year ending September 2021 but has been roughly stable since year ending September 2017. The average custodial sentence received by offenders sentenced under Section 315 of the Sentencing Act 2020 was 7.5 months in year ending September 2021 Decrease</td Knife and Offensive Weapon Sentencing Statistics: October to December 2022
- gov.uk
- s3.amazonaws.com
Updated May 18, 2023ShareFacebookTwitterEmailClick to copy linkLink copiedCiteMinistry of Justice (2023). Knife and Offensive Weapon Sentencing Statistics: October to December 2022 [Dataset]. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/knife-and-offensive-weapon-sentencing-statistics-october-to-december-2022Dataset updatedMay 18, 2023AuthorsMinistry of JusticeDescriptionContents
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.
Accompanying files
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.
Main points
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. <a href="#contents" class="
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FacebookTwitterEmailContents
2. Knife and offensive weapon offences overview
5. Sentencing under Sentencing under section 315 of 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.
Accompanying files
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 June 2021
-
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.
The period covered by this publication includes the fifth quarter (April to June 21) of data since restrictions were put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Comparisons between the latest year and 2020 will be affected by the pandemic, and quarterly comparisons and comparisons to 2019 may be used to highlight impacts where useful.
Main points
| Point | Change | Commentary |
|---|---|---|
| The number of knife and offensive weapon offences dealt with by the Criminal Justice System (CJS) has increased after a dip in year ending June 2020. | Increase | In year ending June 2021 20,726 knife and offensive weapon offences were formally dealt with by the CJS. This is an increase of 12% since year ending June 2020, which includes the dip in Q2 2020 after COVID restrictions were imposed, but is 8% lower than in year ending June 2019 before the start of the pandemic. |
| The proportion of offenders receiving an immediate custodial sentence for a knife and offensive weapon offence decreased to 29% in year ending June 2021 | Decrease | This had been stable at around 38% on average between year ending June 2018 and year ending June 2020 but then dropped in year ending June 2021. In this period there was a corresponding increase in the proportion of offenders receiving a suspended sentence or community sentence. |
| For 72% 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 78% in year ending June 2011 to 72% in year ending June 2021 but has been roughly stable since year ending June 2018. |
| The average custodial sentence received by offenders sentenced under Section 315 of the Sentencing Act 2020 was 7.5 months in year ending June 2021 | Decrease | This had risen between year ending June 2017 (the first full year after the legislation was introduced) and year ending June 2020 but fell in year ending J |