To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his most recent assessment is of the effectiveness of the Tackling Knives Action programme in reducing the number of offences related to the possession of a knife. (287550)

[holding answer 20 July 2009]: I believe the scheme has been of benefit in supporting 16 forces to tackle knife crime.

Management information has been collected from a range of sources both before and during the TKAP period, defined as July 2008 to March 2009. This management information was published on 22 July; Tackling Knives Action programme (TKAP) Phase 1: Overview of key trends from a monitoring programme is available on the Home Office Crime Reduction website:

http://www.crimereduction.homeoffice.gov.uk/violentstreet/violentstreet014.htm