Between March 2023 and March 2024, knife crime has reportedly increased by 4% in England and Wales, whilst similar offenses in Norfolk have risen by 8.4% in the same time span, according to the Office for National Statistics. 

Knife crime, which encompasses the illegal possession of an offensive weapon or knife, threatening with an offensive weapon or knife, and injuring or fatally wounding someone with such a possession, is increasingly common amongst young people in the region.  

The Ben Kinsella Trust – a charity set up in 2008 following the fatal and unprovoked stabbing of then 16-year-old Ben Kinsella – reports that, as of February 2024, ‘82% of homicides among teenage victims [in England] involve the use of a knife or sharp instrument’.  

But it’s not just the victims of such crime that are concerningly young. Figures from Norfolk Constabulary show that, out of the 18 offenses involving zombie knives in Norfolk between January and September 2024, a third were committed by under 18-year-olds. Zombie knives and machetes were first banned in 2016 by the then Conservative government in an attempt to reduce youth knife crime. However, a loophole in this law was not corrected until September 2024, meaning that many weapons had avoided such regulations in the 8 years between. 

In 2021, Callum – a then local to Norwich and ex-student from the city – experienced this loophole firsthand. Whilst exiting The Waterfront on King Street after a night out, he was confronted by a group of teenagers, one of which wielded a blade so big that he “couldn’t believe he had pockets deep enough to hold the knife”. Although fortunately fleeing the encounter and returning safely home, Callum, now 27, recalls that “I’ve walked through some rough cities… [and] never worried about it, and then it happens to you in Norwich, of all places”.  

Norfolk was once described in 2016 by Supt. Dave Buckley as ‘not common place’ for young people to carry knives. But with overall knife crimes increasing from 269 offenses in 2016 to 522 offenses in 2023, this once secure county is becoming worryingly unsafe. 

It is clear that teenagers and young adults continue to be disproportionately affected by knife crime as both victims and perpetrators. According to data from the Ministry of Justice, of the 154 first-time knife crime offenders processed through the criminal justice system in Norfolk in the year ending September 2023, 29 were children.  

Perhaps more shockingly, out of the total 226 knife crime offenses seen by courts in Norfolk so far in 2024, more than 1 in 10 offenders have been under the age of 18. 

This comes after two boys, aged 13 and 14, were arrested in connection to the stabbing of a 16-year-old boy in Sprowston, Norwich, as recently as Sunday, October 6. Whilst the victim has since been discharged by Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, the incident is yet another in the spate of youth knife crime that has swept the nation and region. 

With such shocking statistics, students and parents are left asking why more preventative measures are not being taken to avoid the indoctrination of minors into gang related knife crime. “Unfortunately, it’s never the people who should be prosecuted that get done”, says Ollie, who was held up at knife point on his way to a party in 2017 by someone he “would have considered a friend”. He explained that he believes it’s “often the young people who fear the people they ‘work’ for” that wield the knives and suffer as a result. 

However, such knife related violence in Norfolk, although recently increasing, is not new. In January 2022, 18-year-old Joe Dix was fatally stabbed by three teenagers after becoming involved in a County Lines operation where he was ‘criminally exploited by some unscrupulous men’. Although a minimum of 20 years was handed to each of the three defendants, his parents have stated since that they “have been served their own life sentence” as a result of their son’s unprovoked and unfair death. Emma and Phil Dix have since established The Joe Dix Foundation, which aims to educate people on the dangers of Child Criminal Exploitation and knife crime in the UK. 

So what can be done to stay safe and remain aware in light of recent and increasing knife crime in Norfolk?  

Trusts and charities, like that of the Joe Dix Foundation, focus on preventative measures within local communities by promoting awareness, talks, leaflets and websites, among both children and adults. Essential bleed bag kits have been distributed throughout Norfolk for public use, and those that feel most at risk are encouraged to seek help from the foundation or similar trusts for guidance and advice.   

If you or someone you know has been affected by knife crime, there are resources available and more information listed below. As The Joe Dix Foundation site states, ‘No one should suffer a loss from a knife crime’.  

The Joe Dix Foundation – https://joedixfoundation.co.uk

Norfolk & Suffolk Victim Care – https://nsvictimcare.org

Fearless – 0800 555 111 

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