Statistics have shown a gradual decrease in youth crime – crime committed by people under the age of 18 – in the United Kingdom over the past decade. With a decrease in 81% of cautions or convictions (Youth Justice Board/ Ministry of Justice 2018, p.2), the overall rates may be assumed as a promising decay in unlawful child behavior. However, knife crime has recently sparked as both a common form of street violence perpetrated by young persons and as a subject of major concern amongst the community despite its looming presence as early as the 1950s (Hitchcock 2009). Knife crime amongst youth appears but cannot conclusively be said to be a numerically growing problem within the United Kingdom. However, the responses it has influenced within the community makes it a growing social problem of major concern. The statistics surrounding this particular offence and its possible misinterpretations, the media attention these offences receive, heavily skewed to capture newsworthy crime stories(Ferguson 2013, p.53) and the government responses to both the statistics and media attention are factors that have made knife crime a growing social issue of major concern, regardless of whether or not it Is a numerically growing problem.
The data collected in relation to youth and their engagement in knife related crime suggests that the offence among young people is on a rise however, the context of the statistics may imply neither an increase or a decrease. The probability of data collection being incomplete and misleading is almost certain as the context of its collection limits the understanding of the reader/viewer of the fluctuation, increase or decrease in the rates of the crime (Bateman 2015, p.68). Factors such as targeted policing, detected and undetected crime and policy and/or legislation change are predominantly the reasons behind a fluctuation, increase or decrease in the rates of criminal behavior (Bateman 2015, p.71). The most recent report on the statistics of youth crime within the United Kingdom (2016-2017) suggest through their data that between the current and previous report (2015-2016), the UK saw a rise in the number of offences involving knife possession or a dangerous weapon from 3300 to 4000 offences (Youth Justice Board and Ministry of Justice 2018, pp.2)(Youth Justice Board and Ministry of Justice 2017, p.74). From 2012 until 2017, the data implied a reduction in the overall number of knife or offensive weapon crime yet has reported an increase in 11% for the crime perpetrated by young adults (Youth Justice Board and Ministry of Justice 2018, pp.2). The statistics presented within such reports issued by the government support the idea that knife crime amongst young adults is growing as a problem within the UK community.
However, despite these statistics that offer such evidence, the policy and policing strategies introduced to detect the criminal behavior and the "dark figure" suggest that these crime statistics are limited in their ability to express the seriousness of a crime (Bateman, 2015). Through 2010 to 2015, the UK government introduced a new policy to tackle "knife, gun and gang crime" by providing means of support for youth such as helplines and educational programs (Home Office 2015) . The policy also committed to deploying extra police units in 'program' areas- areas of priority with higher offending rates- (Home Office 2013, p.6) Such measures could possibly justify the increase in the detected rates of knife crime amongst youth through 2012 to 2017, suggesting that knife crime may not be a growing issue, yet one detected more frequently. On the other hand, the "dark figure" of crime- that is, "about occurrences that by some criteria are called crime yet that are not registered in the statistics of whatever agency was the source of the data being used" (Biderman & Reiss 1967, p. 2)- suggests much of the actual criminal behaviour is lost and unrepresented in data sources. Thus, there is the need to understand that crime rates also portray much less than what might actually be occurring (Bateman 2015). Through understanding both the scope and limitations of youth crime statistics, a possible assumption may be drawn that these statistics cannot be used conclusively to determine a growth or decay in knife crime perpetrated by young adults. However, the data and its trends may be an indicator of the external social and political factors influencing such changes (Bateman 2015, p. 76).
Reports on knife crime perpetrated by young adults within the media are heavily censored to portray an idealistic and fictional image that presents the crime and criminal as a growing and major social issue. The media takes a keen and favoring interest in unlawful behavior committed by youth (Clark and Wayne cited in Ruigrok, Atteveldt, Gagestein & Jacobi 2017, pp.908) that encourages about the community a sense of 'Juvenoia'- suspicion and moral panic towards youth-; a term coined by David Finkhler in 2010 (Ferguson 2013, p. 12). As opposed to entertainment media, research has found that news media is more likely to influence the perception of the viewer by means of presenting the crime "facts" in a sensational and exhilarating manner (Ferguson 2013, pp. 56 & 62). In the news article, "Violent crimes including knife attacks committed by under-tens soared by 38 per cent last year" published in The Sun, the title deduces a solid increase in under-teen crime (Sullivan 2018). Although the 38% increase may be based on factual statistics, the news headline is worded in a provocative manner, a style used by journalists, to educe the reader into viewing the work (Walberg cited in Blom & Hansen 2015). Moreover, the article is supported by information from the police, "experts" and a Youth Leader, all of which are factors in creating a moral panic through news reports according to Ferguson (2013, p.63). This article is one amongst the many that cover stories around youth crime and the use of knife weapons. Thus, these articles and their contents have, as research shows, placed alarming significance on youth perpetrated knife crime (Hitchcock 2009) introducing and preserving juvenois within the United Kingdom community (Ferguson 2013). The biased image of youth within the media has influenced moral panic amid the UK community which has resulted into the growth of knife crime as a major and growing social issue.
Knife crime perpetrated by young people having become such a feared offence by the public has generated the implementation of many policies and legislations that may help tackle the issue and reduce the suspicions related to youth crime. Previously, the policies placed to tackle youth crime were broadly related to any type of street violence or the use of violent weapons (Edwards, Hughes and Swann 2015). In the 2010-2015 policy implemented by the Liberal Democrat and coalition government for England and wales, the aim of the policy was to "reduce gang-related crime and stop young people becoming involved in violence" (Home office 2015) and inclusive of such aims fell the targeting of knife crime, however it was not the central issue. Within this period of time in 2013, a research project "Urbis" was undertaken which found that amid urban safety, youth were seen both as being at and a risk of street violence (Edwards, Hughes and Swann 2015, pp.202-203). In 2013 to 2016 the London Mayor introduced his 20:20:20, yet another policy to reduce crime, with youth crime as one of its subjects of interest, was implemented (Edwards, Hughes and Swann 2015, pp.199-200). Despite the focus of the policy on street crimes, it was not focused on knife crime committed by young people specifically, but generally on all forms of street violence. Hence, though knife offences committed by children were a subject of concern, it may be deduced that they were not the greatest social or criminal issue.
In contrast however, in the year 2016 there was much concern, specifically from the government on the subject of knife crime in general, and specifically knife crime committed by young adults. In 2016 the Home Office for the UK government issued a ban on the sale of zombie knives across England and wales to people of all ages (Newton 2016) and further in the year, a scheme was adopted by the police and some major retailers to prevent the sales of knives to people under the age of 18 (Newton 2016, p.1). This may lead to the assumption that knife crime amongst youth had become towards the end of 2016 a growing and major social problem and has only continued to grow since on a social spectrum. In June 2017, "The London Knife Crime Strategy" was introduced by the London mayor to target knife crime and to support and deter children from being involved in the offence. Within the scope of the scheme, it was identified that youth violence and knife crime are the most critical problems which needed to be tackled. The mayor also budgeted 5 million pounds to reduce youth crime, inclusive of preventative and educative programs and police units deployed specifically to identify and detect youth crime. (Greater London Authority 2017, pp. 23,25 & 53-55). The evidence previously mentioned about the change of policies relating to both youth crime and knife possession over the past several years suggests that knife crime within the adolescent community has grown into an issue of major concern for the public and the government.
According to Bateman (2015), data alone, especially for crime related statistics, cannot determine the true trend of a crime, rather the trends of the data depict the social and political trends related to the subject of study. As shown in the analysis relating to youth perpetrated knife crime, there is much room for the misinterpretation of the number as an all-inclusive view on the true rates of the crime. Whilst it may be difficult to understand the rates of the offence by youth, it can be deduced from the research completed by Ferguson (2013) and Hitchcock (2009) that media exploitation of youth crime has waved moral panic into the UK public. Accordingly, the research into the development of policies relating to youth and violence indicate a rise in the attention given to knife possession and violence by youth by the Government. One possible implication of the research conducted and analysed is that knife crime committed by persons under the age of 18 is both a growing and major social issue.