Idris Elba has spoken out against mandatory prison sentences for knife possession, as the nation deepens the debate over how to deal with an “epidemic” of street violence.
The actor and campaigner said there was no “one size fits all” approach to banning weapons and warned against criminalizing young people caught up in cycles of violence. His comments came a day after the family of Nottingham stabbing victim Grace O'Malley-Kumar called for mandatory prison sentences for those responsible for carrying the knife.
The Home Office will introduce secondary legislation on Thursday that would strengthen the ban on zombie knives, which was first introduced in England and Wales in 2016.
Previous attempts at the ban defined weapons as having bladed or serrated weapons and containing “images or language suggesting they may be used for purposes of violence.” The new law, which won't come into force until September, will also ban “zombie” knives without threatening words or images, the Home Office said.
Mr Elba, who has long campaigned on the issue, met with interior ministers on Wednesday to discuss the changes.
He told BBC Breakfast that many young people were carrying knives out of fear because they had been stabbed or witnessed someone else being stabbed. “He was walking around the neighborhood and thought, 'Here he is defending himself. He's going to end up in prison for five years. Are we winning?' He said.
He added that deterrence – letting young people know they will pay a fine if they possess a knife – is an important step, but there are “tiers” to the issue.
“It's a very important step to consider as a deterrent, but it's not a panacea,” he said.
On Wednesday, consultant anesthetist Sinead O'Malley said carrying a knife was “no different” to carrying a gun. “I think there should be a mandatory prison sentence for possessing a knife. It's not just an offensive weapon or something to eat food with. It's a deadly weapon.”
In the same interview, her husband, GP Dr Sanjoy Kumar, described knife crime in the UK as an “epidemic” and said existing laws on the issue appeared “simplistic”.
A court heard earlier this week that Grace O'Malley Kumar, 19, showed “incredible courage” when she tried to protect Barnaby Webber from Bardo Calocane before he was stabbed to death.
Amendments to the Criminal Justice Bill will increase the maximum sentence for possessing a prohibited weapon from six months to two years. Police will also be given powers to seize and destroy knives found in homes if they have reasonable grounds to suspect they are being used in a serious crime.
Labor said the government's reforms had already been promised by six Conservative home ministers and did not go far enough in closing “loopholes”.
The party plans to launch an action plan program for young people caught with knives, which could result in them being banned, tagged or placed on a behavior contract. Labor first made the announcement at its autumn conference.
Keir Starmer this week vowed to ban ninja swords if Labor wins the next election. The party also said it would launch a £100m SureStart type program to tackle knife crime. Labour's program, called Young Futures, will involve coordinating community services to identify those most at risk of knife crime.
New data from the Office for National Statistics shows the number of knife and sharps crimes rose by 5% last year, mainly due to an increase in robberies.
In the year to September 2023, police recorded more than 48,700 knife and sharps crimes, equivalent to 85 for every 100,000 people in England and Wales.
This is up from 84 cases in the previous 12 months. However, the number of knife crimes reported to police remains below the pre-pandemic peak of 91 per 100,000 people in the year ending March 2020.
While overall knife crime has increased by 5%, ONS data shows the number of robberies involving knives and sharp instruments rose by 19% last year.
Police Minister Chris Phillip told BBC Radio 4's Today program that some swords would fall under the latest legislation, but “as with any historic sword, there are a lot of issues”.
he said: “The use of swords is very rare because it is very difficult to hide. In the future, after we strengthen this further, if we find that there are other things that need to be included in the scope, we will We can take other legal steps, such as what we are doing today, to ban them.”
Earlier this month, Elba launched the Don't Stop Your Future campaign to tackle youth violence and put pressure on the government. The campaign also calls for increased funding for youth services, as well as a ban on zombie knives and machetes.
In the year to March 2023, there were just over 19,000 cautions and convictions for possessing knives and offensive weapons in England and Wales. In about 18% of cases, the offender was between 10 and 17 years old.
