UK Knife Crime Statistics 2026
Last updated: June 2026 | Data sources: ONS, NHS England, HSE, Home Office, MOPAC
Executive Summary
Knife crime in England and Wales is at its lowest level since the early Covid-19 pandemic. Police recorded 49,151 knife-enabled offences in the year ending December 2025, a 10% decline from the previous year. Knife-related homicides fell by 21% to 172, the lowest annual number since comparable records began in 2010/11. Overall homicides across England and Wales dropped to 503, the lowest figure in more than 40 years.
Despite this progress, knife crime remains near historically elevated levels compared to a decade ago, and frontline workers — particularly security staff — face heightened risk of workplace violence.
National Trends
Current Picture (Year Ending December 2025)
| Metric | Figure | Year-on-year change |
|---|---|---|
| Total knife-enabled offences | 49,151 | ↓ 10% (from 54,548) |
| Knife-related homicides | 172 | ↓ 21% (from 217) |
| Homicides (all methods) | 503 | ↓ 6% (from 534) |
| Police forces recording a decrease | 29 of 44 | — |
Source: ONS, quarterly crime bulletin, April 2026.
Ten-Year Trend: Knife-Enabled Offences (England & Wales)
This table shows the long arc: steep rise pre-pandemic, interruption during lockdowns, a post-pandemic climb, and the welcome decline in the most recent year.
| Year (ending March) | Offences | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | ~25,000 | Near historical low for decade |
| 2016 | ~28,000 | Rising |
| 2017 | ~32,000 | Rising |
| 2018 | ~37,000 | Rising |
| 2019 | ~43,000 | Rising sharply |
| 2020 | ~47,000 | Pre-pandemic peak |
| 2021 | 44,728 | Pandemic lockdown effect |
| 2022 | 49,190 | Rebound |
| 2023 | ~51,000 | Rebound |
| 2024 | ~54,500 | Post-pandemic peak |
| 2025 | 50,430 | Latest: year to Sep 2025 |
| 2025 | 49,151 | Latest: year to Dec 2025 |
Figures for 2015–2020 and 2022–2023 from Home Office police recorded crime data tables and ONS FOI releases. Figures for 2021, 2024, and 2025 from ONS crime bulletins. ~ denotes rounded or interpolated values where exact annual total was not published in a single headline figure; all are accurate to within 500 offences.
Key Observation
The 2025 decline is the steepest year-on-year drop since the pandemic year of 2020/21, when lockdowns artificially suppressed all categories of recorded crime. The current decline happened in normal social conditions, which makes it more significant — it suggests genuine underlying progress rather than a temporary disruption effect.
Regional Breakdown
Knife crime is not evenly distributed. London accounts for more than a quarter of all knife offences in England and Wales.
Three Largest Police Forces
| Police force | 2025 offences | 2024 offences | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan Police | 13,994 | 16,785 | ↓ 16.6% |
| West Midlands | 3,946 | 4,642 | ↓ 15.0% |
| Greater Manchester | 2,890 | 3,476 | ↓ 16.9% |
Source: ONS police force area tables, year ending September 2025. These three forces collectively accounted for 41% of all knife offences nationally.
Forces With the Biggest Increases
Not every area improved. 15 of 44 forces recorded increases.
| Police force | 2025 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Yorkshire | 330 | 262 | ↑ 26.0% |
| Suffolk | 338 | 292 | ↑ 15.8% |
| Derbyshire | 746 | 654 | ↑ 14.1% |
| Warwickshire | 331 | 298 | ↑ 11.1% |
| Dyfed-Powys | 183 | 166 | ↑ 10.2% |
Source: ONS police force area tables.
Knife Crime Rate per 100,000 Population
- Highest: Metropolitan Police — 182 per 100,000
- Lowest: Cumbria — 31 per 100,000
Source: House of Commons Library briefing SN04304, based on ONS data.
London: A Closer Look
London has seen some of the most dramatic improvements.
| Metric | Figure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides (Jan–Sep 2025) | 70 | Lowest since monthly records began (2003) |
| Full-year 2025 homicides | 97 | ↓ 11% (from 109 in 2024) |
| Knife crime offences (12m to Aug 2025) | 1,154 fewer | ↓ 7% |
| Teenage homicides (13–19, calendar yr to Jun 2025) | 3 | Down from 18 in 2021 |
| Under-25 hospital admissions for knife assault | — | ↓ 10% |
Source: Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), October 2025. Metropolitan Police presentation to London Policing Board, July 2025. London's homicide rate remains lower than Paris, Brussels, Berlin, Madrid, and New York.
Demographics: Who Is Affected?
Age
Knife crime disproportionately affects young people, though the age profile has shifted in recent years.
- Teenage homicides (13–19) fell 48% to 34 victims in the year to March 2025, with knife-related teen homicides dropping 59% (source: ONS, reported by LBC, January 2026).
- Under-25s account for the largest share of hospital admissions for knife assault, though this category saw a 10% reduction in London in the 12 months to June 2025 (source: MOPAC).
- Children aged 10–17 remain a concern: knife offences involving this age group peaked in 2023/24 and remain above pre-pandemic levels (source: Ministry of Justice, Youth Justice Statistics).
Gender
- 90% of hospital admissions for assault by sharp object are male (source: NHS England, 2024/25 data).
- Men are both the majority of victims and the overwhelming majority of perpetrators in knife homicide cases.
- Women are significantly more likely to experience workplace sexual harassment and assault than physical knife threats (though the two categories overlap in domestic violence and stalking contexts).
Ethnicity
ONS data shows knife crime disproportionately affects certain ethnic groups, but detailed breakdowns are complex, conflated with age, geography, and socioeconomic factors. The ONS publishes knife crime by ethnicity data separately via FOI releases; the most recent available covers 2020–2025.
Hospital Admissions (NHS Data)
NHS hospital data provides an independent check on police-recorded crime figures, since not all knife assaults result in a police report.
| Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Hospital admissions for assault by sharp object (2024/25) | 3,494 |
| Trend | Continuing decrease |
| Male patients | ~90% |
| Patients aged 18 or under | ~16% |
Source: NHS England, reported in ONS crime bulletin and Mortons Solicitors analysis. Admissions are at their lowest point in a decade.
The NHS data corroborates the police-recorded crime trend: knife violence, measured by serious injury requiring hospitalisation, is down.
Workplace Violence: The Risk to Frontline Workers
This section is critical for security professionals, lone workers, and anyone considering personal protective equipment.
HSE Official Statistics (2024/25)
The Health and Safety Executive published its annual Violence at Work report on 20 November 2025.
| Metric | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Total incidents of violence at work | 689,000 (up from 642,000) |
| Assaults | 370,000 |
| Threats | 319,000 |
| RIDDOR-reported injuries from violence | 5,900 cases (10% of all RIDDOR reports) |
| LFS-estimated non-fatal injuries | ~61,000 workers annually |
Source: HSE, Violence at Work 2024/25, November 2025. CSEW (Crime Survey for England and Wales).
Highest-Risk Occupations (Combined 2023/24–2024/25)
| Occupation | Violence rate | Relative to average |
|---|---|---|
| Protective services (security, police, fire) | 6.8% | 6× the average |
| Health & social care | 2.7% | 2.3× |
| Transport/mobile drivers | 2.4% | 2× |
| Sales (retail) | 2.2% | 1.8× |
| All occupations average | 1.2% | — |
Source: HSE, based on CSEW data.
Security staff, prison officers, and police have the highest occupational risk of violence in the UK — 6 times the national average.
Retail and Customer-Facing Staff
- British Retail Consortium (2025) reported 2,000+ incidents of violence and abuse per day against retail staff, a 50%+ increase year-on-year.
- USDAW union survey (~10,000 retail staff): 77% experienced verbal abuse, 10% were physically assaulted.
- Suzy Lamplugh Trust (September 2025): 31% of frontline workers experienced at least one violent incident in the past 12 months. 32% did not report it. Fewer than 1 in 5 saw any meaningful action taken.
City St George's / University of Manchester Research (2025)
A major study found that 1 in 12 UK workers experienced threats, insults, or attacks in the workplace in the past year. The mental health consequences — anxiety, depression, PTSD symptoms — persisted a year or more after a single incident.
Security Industry Context
The private security industry in the UK has grown substantially:
- 497,000+ active SIA licence holders as of December 2024 — a 57% increase from ~317,000 in 2017 (source: Security Industry Authority).
- This growth means more professionals are working in environments with genuine risk of confrontation — door supervision, retail security, healthcare, transport hubs, local authority operations.
- The sustained knife crime level (even at reduced 2025 figures) means the absolute likelihood of encountering an edged-weapon threat is higher than a decade ago for anyone in a public-facing protective role.
Prison Service
Following a serious attack at HMP Frankland (April 2025), the Ministry of Justice committed £15 million to expand from 750 to 10,000 stab-proof vests. As of March 2026, 514 named staff plus 264 spare sets had been issued across 13 high-security prisons (Belmarsh, Frankland, Full Sutton, Wakefield, Whitemoor, Woodhill, Manchester, and others). This was accompanied by a rollout of 500 Tasers (up from 20 in an initial trial).
Source: UK Parliament written answer, 26 March 2026; The Independent, The Standard, Birmingham Mail.
Government Response
The Labour government, elected in 2024, pledged to halve knife crime within a decade. Key measures introduced or expanded:
- Ronan's Law (2026): new national police unit checking online knife sales, tighter age verification for online knife purchases.
- £15 million for prison officer stab-proof vests and Tasers.
- Serious Violence Duty: statutory multi-agency partnerships between police, local authorities, health, and education.
- Knife Crime Prevention Orders: civil orders restricting behaviour of individuals at risk of involvement.
Source: Home Office, UK Parliament written answers, BBC News.
What This Data Means for Personal Safety
Several points are clear from the data:
1. Knife crime is falling, but from a high base. The 49,151 offences recorded in 2025 is still nearly double the ~25,000 recorded in 2015. The risk remains material.
2. Frontline workers bear disproportionate risk. Protective service occupations face violence rates six times the national average. For anyone in security, retail, health, or transport — a role that involves interaction with the public — violence at work is not theoretical.
3. Lone workers are especially vulnerable. The HSE defines lone workers as those who work without close supervision, including security staff on solo patrols, delivery drivers, and community workers. These roles lack the deterrent effect of a colleague's presence.
4. The improvement in London shows that sustained investment in policing, youth services, and multi-agency partnerships can produce measurable results. But 15 forces recorded increases, meaning the picture is uneven across the country.
5. Most violence is not fatal, but the 689,000 workplace violence incidents recorded by the HSE — and the mental health consequences documented by academic research — mean that non-fatal assaults carry a serious long-term cost.
About This Page
This page is maintained by ArmorLite, a maker and retailer of certified stab-proof body armour. We compile official UK government statistics on knife crime and workplace violence to provide an accurate, regularly updated reference that journalists, researchers, security professionals, and members of the public can rely on.
ArmorLite supplies KR1/SP1 and EN388 certified stab-proof and knife-proof vests, jackets, and t-shirts to security professionals, lone workers, and civilians. Our products are independently tested to meet Home Office and European standards for stab and slash resistance.
Data on this page is sourced exclusively from: Office for National Statistics (ONS), NHS England, Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Home Office, Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), House of Commons Library, Security Industry Authority (SIA), and published academic research.
Corrections: If you spot an error or outdated figure, please email customer@armorliteshop.com with the subject line "Stats Page Correction" and include a link to the authoritative source.
Sources
1. ONS, Crime in England and Wales: year ending December 2025 (April 2026 bulletin)
2. ONS, Crime in England and Wales: year ending September 2025 (January 2026 bulletin)
3. ONS, Knife crime statistics FOI releases, ons.gov.uk
4. House of Commons Library, Knife Crime Statistics England and Wales, briefing SN04304
5. HSE, Violence at Work 2024/25, published November 2025
6. NHS England, Hospital Episode Statistics, 2024/25
7. MOPAC, London Homicide Data, October 2025
8. Metropolitan Police, Presentation to London Policing Board, July 2025
9. Security Industry Authority, Licence Holder Statistics, December 2024
10. UK Parliament, Written Answer: Prison Officers Protective Clothing, March 2026
11. City St George's / University of Manchester, Workplace Violence Study, June 2025
12. Suzy Lamplugh Trust / YouGov, Frontline Worker Safety Survey, September 2025
13. British Retail Consortium, Retail Crime Survey 2025
14. USDAW, Retail Worker Safety Survey, 2025