Offensive Weapons: Young People

John Bercow
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made on developing initiatives to tackle the possession of illegal knives by young people.

Mr. Coaker
There is considerable work already in place to address the issue of young people carrying knives, including:

educational initiatives such as Be Safe and other projects which provide workshops on weapons awareness;

the provision of additional search equipment to the police and other partners;

tougher legislation, such as the increase in the maximum sentence for possession of a knife from two to four years and the increase in the minimum age at which someone can be sold a knife from 16 to 18.

We are also working closely with ACPO and the CPS to increase the presumption to prosecute people who carry knives and are developing plans to ensure that all young people convicted of carrying a knife receive focused interventions to change their behaviour and prevent re-offending.

We will also, at the end of this month, launch a £1 million campaign, developed with the participation of young people, aimed at reducing the carrying of knives by young people.