How Scotland Has Drastically Reduced Knife Crime
While the media focus on soaring knife crime in England, nobody is mentioning that Scotland has dropped its rates to almost zero. A few years ago, it also had very dangerous streets. But numbers have dropped dramatically.
In 2017 England and Wales had a combined 35 knife stabbings, whereas Scotland had none. So how did they do this?
By doing the same as Norway. Instead of ‘locking people up’, Scotland helps those found with knives, to find homes, jobs and training, to do something positive with their lives. Instead of in England (with 50,000 knife crimes in 2024, an increase of almost 80% in 10 years). Building trust between the public and police, community outreach and education, is combined with regular knife amnesties.
- Billy’s Wish is a charity founded in the name of a knife crime victim. It offers free resources for schools.
- Fearless is a site to give information (anonymously) about a crime or fight that has taken place, or is planned. The site has a quick close tab and there is no browsing history, personal details or IP address taken.
- Steel Warriors is a London charity that melts down knives taken off the streets, then uses the steel to make ‘street outdoor gyms’ for young people.
