Reduction in knife enabled crime a "positive step", says Bira

Knife-enabled robberies have fallen in some of the most affected areas of England, reports the Government, following targeted police action introduced under the Government’s Plan for Change, with Bira welcoming the news as a “positive step” in tackling retail crime.

A 6% drop in robberies involving a knife has been recorded across seven high-risk areas, with the West Midlands seeing a sharp 25% fall over the past year.

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The decline follows a significant rise in offences in the year to June 2024, which led to the creation of a dedicated police taskforce backed by increased patrols, drones, and knife detection tools.

High streets and communities most affected by knife crime are among those now benefitting from a safer environment, with over 1,000 weapons removed from circulation in recent months.

The Government says it is committed to halving knife crime by 2035, using both traditional enforcement and new technology to focus resources on local problem areas.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper called the latest figures a sign of progress and highlighted the use of new mapping tools to target hotspots with precision.

“The drop in knife-enabled robbery in key problem areas shows the impact that our strong new action on knife crime is having,” she said. “But we now need to supercharge these efforts through more smart and targeted interventions.”

Funding of up to £5 million will support further pilot programmes using facial recognition and detection technology to make communities safer.