Knife and Offensive Weapon Sentencing Statistics: January to March 2023
Trends in cautioning and sentencing of knife and offensive weapon offences.
Applies to England and Wales
Documents
Details
Contents
2. Knife and offensive weapon offences overview
5. Sentencing under the Sentencing Act 2020
7. Future publications and contact details for any queries or feedback
This publication presents key statistics describing the trends in the number of offenders receiving cautions and convictions for
-
possession of an article with a blade or point
-
possession of an offensive weapon, or
-
threatening with either type of weapon
in England and Wales. Please note that cases still awaiting final decisions are no longer accounted for using estimation methodology. These are generally cases in the latest periods and are now counted as ‘other’ disposals until final decisions are made unless separately specified.
Accompanying files
As well as this bulletin, the following products are published as part of this release:
-
ODS format tables containing data on knife or offensive weapon offences up to March 2023
-
An interactive table tool to look at previous offences involving possession of a blade, point or offensive weapon. The tool provides further breakdowns by gender, police identified ethnicity and prosecuting police force area. The data used in the tool is also included as a separate csv file.
-
An interactive Sankey diagram looking at outcomes for offenders sentenced for these offences by whether or not they have a previous conviction or caution for possession of a blade, point or offensive weapon; which includes breakdowns by gender, age group and offence type.
This publication covers the period from Q1 2012 to Q1 2023. In the last three years of this period the work of the courts has been impacted by the restrictions imposed in response to the COVID pandemic, which led to court closures and subsequent backlogs, as well as any effects of the industrial action by criminal barristers taking place between April 2022 and October 2022. This should be borne in mind when making comparisons.
Main points
| Point | Change | Commentary |
|---|---|---|
| The number of knife and offensive weapon offences dealt with by the Criminal Justice System (CJS) has decreased since year ending March 2022 but is higher than at the very start of the pandemic. | Decrease | In year ending March 2023 19,086 knife and offensive weapon offences were formally dealt with by the CJS. This is a decrease of 3% from year ending March 2022; but is 2% higher than in year ending March 2021 when the work of the courts was impacted by restrictions imposed at the very start of the pandemic. |
| The proportion of offenders receiving an immediate custodial sentence for a knife and offensive weapon offence fell from 37% in year ending March 2020 to 30% in year ending March 2023. | Decrease | This had been broadly stable at 37%-38% between year ending March 2018 and year ending March 2020 before falling over subsequent years to 30% in year ending March 2023. In this period there was a corresponding increase in the proportion of offenders receiving a suspended sentence from 20% in year ending March 2020 to 25% in year ending March 2023. |
| For 70% of offenders this was their first knife or offensive weapon possession offence. | Decrease | The proportion of offenders for whom this is their first knife or offensive weapon possession offence has been decreasing over the last decade, from 75% in year ending March 2013 to 70% in year ending March 2023 but has been broadly stable between 72% and 70% since year ending March 2018. |
| The average custodial sentence received by offenders sentenced for convictions under Section 315 of the Sentencing Act 2020 was 7.8 months in year ending March 2023. | Increase | This had decreased from 7.8 months in year ending March 2020 to 7.4 months in both year ending March 2021 and year ending March 2022 but increased again in year ending March 2023. |
1. Statistician’s comment
This publication covers the period to the end of March 2023. Figures from March 2020 onwards have been impacted by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown restrictions imposed (court closures, pauses to jury trials and remote hearings, prioritisation of cases as courts reopened). Figures for Q2 and Q3 2022 may also have been impacted by industrial action taken by the Criminal Bar Association.
Over the most recent year, the number of knife and offensive weapon cases dealt with decreased by 3% to 19,086; a reduction which may in part be due to the industrial action mentioned above. Prior to the pandemic, between year ending March 2014 and year ending March 2019, there had been an increase of 35% in the number of cases dealt with by the Criminal Justice System; with 22,183 offences dealt with in year ending March 2019. The impact of pandemic restrictions led to a decrease of 16% between year ending March 2019 and year ending March 2021. The fall over the latest year comes after a 5% increase in the number of cases dealt with between year ending March 2021 and year ending March 2022 as courts reopened.
The proportion of offenders receiving immediate custody in year ending March 2023 was 30%. This was 2 percentage points lower than in year ending March 2022. Between year ending March 2018 and year ending March 2020 it had been 37%-38% but this fell over the following three years. A corresponding increase is evident in the proportion of offenders receiving a suspended sentence (25% in year ending March 2023, up from 20% in year ending March 2020). It is likely that there have been factors that emerged during and since the pandemic that have influenced sentencing decisions.
2. Knife and offensive weapon offences overview
The number of knife and offensive weapon offences dealt with by the Criminal Justice System (CJS) has decreased since year ending March 2022 but is higher than at the very start of the pandemic.
In year ending March 2023 19,086 knife and offensive weapon offences were formally dealt with by the CJS. This is a decrease of 3% from year ending March 2022; but is 2% higher than in year ending March 2021 when the work of the courts was impacted by restrictions imposed at the very start of the pandemic.
In April to June 2020, the first quarter affected by COVID-19 restrictions, there was a 52% fall in the number of offences dealt with compared to the same quarter in 2019: from 5,732 to 2,773. This went back up to 5,418 in Q3 2020 but has generally fallen since then. In January to March 2023 there were 4,808 cases dealt with, 5% lower than in the same quarter of 2022 and 18% lower than the same quarter of 2019 before the pandemic.
Figure 1: Knife and offensive weapon offences by offence type, England and Wales, annually from year ending March 2013 (Source: Table 1a)
Figure 1 shows that the previous increase between year ending March 2014 and year ending March 2019 was driven by possession of an article with a blade or point offences, which increased 46% over the period compared to 11% for possession of offensive weapon offences. Between year ending March 2020 and year ending March 2021 there was a decrease for all three offence types in the number of offences dealt with as the work of courts was restricted by lockdown measures imposed at the start of the pandemic. Possession of blade or point offences then increased the most between year ending March 2021 and year ending March 2022 as things reopened (8% compared to 1% for possession of offensive weapon offences), and was the only offence type to see an increase in the number of offences dealt with between year ending March 2022 and year ending March 2023. The number of threatening offences dealt with fell by 50% over the period while the number of possession of offensive weapon offences dealt with fell by 9%.
The changes in possession of blade or point offences, as described above, means that this offence type now accounts for a bigger proportion of knife and offensive weapon offences. In year ending March 2023 possession of blade or point offences accounted for 7 in 10 (70%) knife and offensive weapon offences dealt with compared to 57% in year ending March 2013, while possession of offensive weapon offences accounted for 28% of knife and offensive weapon offences dealt with in year ending March 2023 compared to 43% in year ending March 2013.
There has also been a change in the make-up of offenders involved in the offences dealt with by the CJS. In year ending March 2023 82% of the offences dealt with involved adult offenders, annually the highest proportion since year ending March 2014.
The recent police recorded crime figures published by the ONS showed a 19% increase in the number of knife and offensive weapon offences recorded from 40,935 in year ending March 2022 to 48,847 in year ending March 2023. Information published by the Home Office on “Crime outcomes in England and Wales” showed that 40% of these offences resulted in a charge or police caution in the year ending March 2023. This is down from 43% in year ending March 2022.
3. Sentencing
The proportion of offenders receiving an immediate custodial sentence for a knife and offensive weapon offence fell from 37% in year ending March 2020 to 30% in year ending March 2023.
This had been broadly stable at 37%-38% between year ending March 2018 and year ending March 2020 before falling over subsequent years to 30% in year ending March 2023. In this period there was a corresponding increase in the proportion of offenders receiving a suspended sentence from 20% in year ending March 2020 to 25% in year ending March 2023.
Figure 2: Knife and offensive weapon offences by disposal type, England and Wales, annually from year ending March 2013 (Source: Table 1)
Between year ending March 2013 and year ending March 2018 there was an increase in the proportion of offenders receiving an immediate custodial sentence for a knife and offensive weapon offence, from 28% to 38%, which then remained broadly stable at 37% or 38% until year ending March 2020 before falling to 30% in year ending March 2023. The picture in the latest year is more subject to change than the picture in other years due to there being more offences committed to the Crown Court for sentencing and awaiting a final decision; which have had less time to complete and which are recorded as other disposals until a final decision is made. It is likely that there have been factors that emerged during and since the pandemic that have influenced sentencing decisions
The proportion of adults receiving immediate custody followed a similar trend and remained stable at around 44% to 45% between year ending March 2018 and year ending March 2020 before falling over subsequent years to 36% in year ending March 2023. For 10-17 year olds, the proportion receiving immediate custody fell from 10% in year ending March 2020 to 6% year ending March 2023, having previously been between 11% and 14% from year ending March 2013 to year ending March 2019.
The chart also shows that between year ending March 2020 and year ending March 2023 there was a corresponding increase in the proportion of offenders receiving a suspended sentence (20% to 25%), making it the second most common disposal in year ending March 2023. Please note, however, that the picture for this latest year could potentially change as cases referred to the Crown Court for sentencing receive final decisions.
The proportion of offenders who received a caution generally decreased between year ending March 2013 and year ending March 2017 but has remained broadly stable between 11% and 13% since then.
Over the long-term, average custodial sentence length has generally increased, particularly for adults and possession of blade and point offences. Between year ending March 2013 and year ending March 2020 the average custodial sentence length for possession of an offensive weapon has been consistently higher than that for possession of an article with a blade or point though the gap has been reducing. Since year ending March 2021 they have become very similar each year. In year ending March 2023 they were both 7.5 months. For possession of an article with a blade or point this is the highest in this editions year ending series. Average custodial sentence length for threatening offences has been over 13 months since year ending March 2020, but at 14.8 months in year ending March 2023 this was particularly high and the highest year ending level since threatening offences were introduced in December 2012. However, please note that the small numbers make the figures for threatening offences more volatile than the figures for other offence types.
Average custodial sentence length for adults increased from 7.3 months in year ending March 2013 to 7.8 months in year ending March 2019, remaining broadly stable at 7.9 months in year ending March 2020. After falling to 7.4 months in year ending March 2021 it then rose again to 7.7 months in year ending March 2023. Average custodial sentence lengths for 10 to 17 year olds generally fell over the period from 7.8 months in year ending March 2013 to 7.1 months in year ending March 2023. However, average custodial sentence lengths for 10 to 17 year olds were particularly high in year ending March 2013 and year ending March 2014 and the smaller numbers of offences make these figures more volatile than the figures for adults. (back to top)
4. Offending History
For 70% of offenders this was their first knife or offensive weapon possession offence.
The proportion of offenders for whom this is their first knife or offensive weapon possession offence has been decreasing over the last decade, from 75% in year ending March 2013 to 70% in year ending March 2023 but has been broadly stable between 72% and 70% since year ending March 2018.
The decrease in the proportion of first-time knife and offensive weapon offenders has been seen for both adults and juveniles, with the proportion for adults decreasing from 72% to 67% between year ending March 2013 and year ending March 2023 and the proportion for 10- to 17-year-olds decreasing from 89% to 80% over the same period.
Figure 3: Number of previous cautions or convictions for the possession of a knife or offensive weapon offence for offenders cautioned or convicted for a knife or offensive weapon offence, England and Wales, annually from year ending March 2013 (Source: Interactive Pivot Table Tool)
Figure 3 shows the number of cautions or convictions for a knife or offensive weapon offence, broken down by the number of cautions or convictions the offender had previously received for a knife or offensive weapon offence. Whilst the number of offenders with no previous knife and offensive weapon offence rose year on year between year ending March 2014 and year ending March 2019 (ending on 14,385), this made up a smaller proportion of offenders (as described above). The number of offenders with no previous knife and offensive weapon offence fell to 12,154 in year ending March 2021, when fewer cases were dealt with, before rising again. The number of first time knife and offensive weapon offenders rose to 12,586 in year ending March 2022 but a subsequent decrease between then and year ending March 2023 to 12,099 meant there were fewer first time knife and offensive weapons offenders involved in the offences dealt with that year than were involved in the offences dealt with in year ending March 2021.
A similar pattern can be seen in the number of offenders who have at least one previous knife or offensive weapon offence. A rise between year ending March 2013 to year ending March 2019, a fall to year ending March 2021, followed by increases over the next two years to year ending March 2023.
5. Sentencing under the Sentencing Act 2020
A court must impose a minimum custodial sentence on an offender who has been convicted of a second or subsequent offence of possession of a knife or offensive weapon unless it would not be in the interest of justice to do so. The minimum sentence provisions were first introduced in 2015 by the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 but have since been repealed and replaced by s315 of the Sentencing Act 2020 . The Sentencing Act 2020 also sets minimum sentences for offenders convicted of threatening with a bladed article or offensive weapon, whether or not this was a first or subsequent offence, and the bulletin now includes analysis of these offences in tables 7a, 8a and 9a.
The minimum sentence for an adult is 6 months imprisonment, and for a 16–17-year-old a 4-month Detention and Training Order. The court may reduce the sentence which would otherwise have met the minimum for an early guilty plea.
The average custodial sentence received by offenders convicted for repeat possession offences under Section 315 of the Sentencing Act 2020 was 7.8 months in year ending March 2023.
This had decreased from 7.8 months in year ending March 2020 to 7.4 months in both year ending March 2021 and year ending March 2022 but increased again in year ending March 2023.
Figure 4: Knife and offensive weapons possession sentencing occasions for adult repeat offenders, by disposal type, annually from year ending March 2017 (Source: Table 7a)
In year ending March 2023 around three fifths (63%) of adult offenders sentenced under section 315 of the Sentencing Act 2020 received an immediate custodial sentence. This has dropped from 72% in year ending March 2020 but levels remain similar to the proportion in year ending March 2022. Overall, 87% of adult offenders sentenced under section 315 of the Sentencing Act 2020 in 2022 received some form of custodial sentence, either immediate custody or a suspended sentence, with 24% receiving a suspended sentence. The proportion receiving a suspended sentence increased from 18% in year ending March 2020 to 23% in year ending March 2022 and remained broadly stable over the following year, reflecting the picture for all knife and offensive weapons offences dealt with. Please note, however, that year ending March 2023 has a much higher number of cases referred to the Crown Court and awaiting sentencing than previous years as they have had less time to complete and the picture for this year is more subject to change when these cases receive final decisions.
For 16- and 17-year olds, in year ending March 2023 31% of offenders sentenced under section 315 of the Sentencing Act 2020 received an immediate custodial sentence. The proportion of 16-17-year-old offenders dealt with under the legislation receiving an immediate custodial sentence fell from 50% in year ending March 2020 to 33% in year ending March 2021 and remained broadly stable over the following two years. By contrast, the proportion of 16- and 17-year olds receiving a community sentence increased from 39% in year ending March 2020 to 58% in year ending March 2021 and remained broadly stable over the following two years. Please note, however, that for this age group a discount for an early guilty plea will lead to a non-custodial sentence as 4 months is the minimum period of custody given to under 18s.
6. Further information
The data presented in this publication are provisional and updated in each publication. Figures provided for more recent quarters are subject to change in future publications as ongoing cases pass through the Criminal Justice System.
A technical guide provides further information on how the data is collected and processed, as well as information on the revisions policy and legislation relevant to knife and offensive weapon sentencing.
Please also note that the bulletin now contains analysis of convictions for threatening offences under the Sentencing Act 2020. The minimum sentences set out are the same as for repeat possession offences but, for threatening offences, the offence can be a first offence or a subsequent offence. We welcome any comments or queries on these.
Official Statistics status
Official statistics are produced under the remit of the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. They are produced impartially and are free from political influence. More information can be found on the UK Statistics Authority website
7. Future publications
Next update: 16 November 2023
Our statisticians regularly review the content of publications. Development of new and improved statistical outputs is usually dependent on reallocating existing resources. As part of our continual review and prioritisation, we welcome user feedback on existing outputs including content, breadth, frequency and methodology. Please send any comments you have on this publication including suggestions for further developments or changes in content.
Contact
Press enquiries should be directed to the Ministry of Justice press office:
Tel: 020 3334 3536
Email: newsdesk@justice.gov.uk
Other enquiries about, or feedback on, these statistics should be directed to the Data and Analysis division of the Ministry of Justice:
Helen Williams,
Ministry of Justice,
102 Petty France,
London,
SW1H 9AJ
Email: MOJPNCteam@justice.gov.uk
© Crown copyright Produced by the Ministry of Justice. Alternative formats are available on request from MOJPNCteam@justice.gov.uk
8. Pre-release access
The bulletin was produced and handled by the ministry’s analytical professionals and production staff. Prior to publication pre-release access of up to 24 hours was granted to the following persons:
Ministry of Justice:
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice;Parliamentary Under Secretary of State – covering sentencing; Permanent Secretary; Minister and Permanent Secretary Private Secretaries (3); Special Advisors (2); Head of Custodial Sentencing Policy Unit; Senior Policy Advisor, Custodial Sentencing Policy Unit; Head of Youth Justice Policy; Head of News and relevant press officers (3).
Home Office:
Home Secretary; Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Crime and Policing; Minister Private Secretaries (2); Head of Knife Crime Team; Policy Advisor, Serious Violence Unit; Head of News and relevant press officers (1).
Cabinet Office:
Senior Delivery Analyst, Number 10 Delivery Unit.