UK Grapples with Escalating Knife Crime as Weaponry Evolves
LONDON – A concerning trend of increasingly hazardous knives – including machetes, Japanese swords, and so-called “zombie knives” – is fueling a surge in knife violence across the United Kingdom, prompting renewed calls for preventative measures alongside law enforcement efforts. Knife crime statistics continue to draw attention to the issue, with authorities working to stem the flow of illegal weapons and address the root causes driving young people to carry them.
Since beginning his collection efforts in 2019, Anthony Olaseinde has amassed over 2,500 knives surrendered to authorities, revealing a disturbing evolution in the types of blades appearing on UK streets. “At first, they were mostly small kitchen knives. There were a lot of them, then the weapons became much bigger…” Olaseinde notes, highlighting the growing scale of the problem. Even seemingly innocuous items, like multi-colored kitchen knives, are attracting the attention of young people, as they are readily available and legally obtainable. “This one is the biggest of the lot. It is attractive to young people because it is colorful and pretty. It is indeed legal to have a kitchen knife in the UK. Parents or grandparents can have them. They can also be easily found on the internet or stolen from a store,” he laments.
The UK has implemented a range of measures to combat knife crime, but criminologist Craig Pinkney argues a solely security-focused approach is insufficient. Pinkney advocates for a “restorative, holistic” strategy addressing underlying issues such as health, education, employment opportunities, and mental health. “If we talk about how we need to get rid of this problem, frequently enough it’s not with punitive measures. It’s always about restorative, holistic measures that take into account… the habitat that young people live in… And if we can start to look at some of those root causes and help young people, then maybe we can start to see a reduction in violence.”
Pinkney emphasizes the need to equip young people with emotional regulation skills, framing the solution as a “public health approach that requires money and time.” All collected blades are systematically handed over to police forces for investigation and disposal. This report originates from an excerpt of “Knife attacks: Britain put to the test”, broadcast in “We, the Europeans” on November 6, 2025.
