Knife crime is a serious issue in London which resulted in almost 40 000 injuries in 2018. Policeman are increasingly being stabbed on the job and murder and manslaughter is on the rise. Two hundred and eighty murders were committed as a result of knife crime in 2017.
Minors are seemingly able to purchase knives from local shops despite government regulations. A 16 year old actress sent by the BBC watchdog, was able to buy a kitchen knife despite the fact that it is illegal to sell a knife to someone under 18 years of age. Amazon also broke its own delivery rules by handing over four knives to the same girl hired by the BBC programme. Both retailers have said they will investigate further to determine failures in procedures. In a further instance set up by the BBC watchdog, a second teenager went to five different branches of each of the following shops; Wilko Asda TKMaxx Tesco and Argos, to attempt to purchase a knife. In Tesco, the UK’s biggest supermarket, the 16 year old was sold a knife in three of the five branches that she visited whilst she was able to purchase one knife in one Argos shop.
Police Commissioners are calling for knife crime to be treated as a disease as it is a serious public health issue that is causing fatalities weekly.