Knife crime has killed 35 children and young people so far this year. And while in London knife crime victims are disproportionately black, elsewhere in England and Wales most victims are white; it is not ethnicity but gender and age that are likely to be the strongest predictors of involvement in knife crime. Yet gathering good data ought to be a core function of Whitehall departments. Once the whole picture is available, it becomes clear that knife crime is usually associated with poverty and often with poor mental health, failing schools and a lack of economic opportunity. Treating it as a health and social policy problem, by contrast, made an impact.

Source: The Guardian November 29, 2017 19:14 UTC