Nearly half of repeat knife-carrying criminals are not jailed, despite the government's attempts to apply the "two strikes" rule to prison sentences.
According to official statistics, 2,400 of the nearly 4,200 people convicted under the 2015 law will be jailed in 2021-2022, while the rest will receive suspended sentences.
This included the stabbing of an 87-year-old man in London, and another fatality near busy Oxford Street. It comes amid concerns about a spate of violent killings, including violent knife attacks.
Shadow Attorney General Steve Reed said:
"They have already broken their promise to lock up repeat knife crimes. This is further evidence of their tolerance of knife crime." 16}
After the "strike" knife-carrying laws came into force, the government "ensured that knife offenders were properly punished and kept off the streets, making our communities safer." I will do it,” he said.
"We send the strongest message to criminals: Repeatedly take knives into the streets and expect to go to jail," he said in a statement added in July 2015. .
Sentences are determined by judges and the magistrates explain the facts of each case, stating that the law can avoid minimum imprisonment if it is "unjust in all circumstances."
From 2021 to 2021, 30% of convictions convicted of possession of a deadly weapon or threatening with a knife will go to jail, according to Justice Ministry figures released on Thursday was the lowest percentage.
The number of knife-carrying crimes handled increased from 12,100 to 13,000, as did possession of other assault weapons. Crime involving threats with knives and weapons has decreased.
Knife-crime charities and groups say some young people carry knives to protect themselves, and many of those later involved in violence are also victims.
Barnardo's Chief Executive Officer Lynne Perry MBE said: Behind these figures are young people who are criminally exploited and suffering as a result of knife crime.
"Vulnerable youth too often go without assistance and are sometimes treated as criminals."
The charity helps police and authorities to It is calling on the incoming prime minister to legally define child exploitation in order to make it easier to help victims of crime.
Youth charity Redthread said knife crime remains below levels seen before his Covid pandemic, but remains a "concerning situation" .
Chief Executive Officer Tracey Burley added: She calls on the new prime minister to commit to working with children and young people who are both victims and perpetrators of violence. We need a balance of protection, support and justice. stop the circulation.
Six murder charges were reported in London in less than a week, including the stabbing of 87-year-old Thomas O'Halloran in Greenford, west London, on Tuesday.
On Saturday, 25-year-old Casey Booth was shot dead in Walthamstow, north London, and the next day, 60-year-old Stephen Goodman was found dead in Dagenham, east London.
Also on Sunday, the 36-year-old Sonny Booty was found dead in a residential area of Lewisham. Lee Song, 58, and Aziza Bennis, 58, were stabbed to death just off Oxford Street in Ealing on Monday.
London has had 58 murders so far this year, with Mayor Sadiq Khan calling the numbers "horrible".
"I'm afraid we'll see an increase in violent crime this summer that we feared," he told his LBC radio station. “We have more sunshine, school holidays, and heat waves. We are working with the police to quell the violence.” It said dangerous weapons were removed from the streets through stop and search, surrender programs and targeted police action.
"People caught with knives are more likely to be sent to prison for longer than they were ten years ago," the statement added.
“The 20,000 additional police officers we are recruiting will help us bring more criminals to court, and the police, crime, sentencing and court laws are the most It ensures that serious and violent criminals spend more time in prison.”
