Dozens of knife crime offenders spared prison sentences in Thames Valley
Campaigners are concerned that not enough is being done to combat the issue
Dozens of people who have been found in possession of knives were spared prison sentences last year in Thames Valley. Concern has been raised over the leniency involved, and some people have said that the lack of consequence for those caught carrying knives is undermining the efforts of anti-knife campaigners.
Between 2020 and 2021, 112 cases found offenders convicted or cautioned for being in possession of a knife in the area. The main worry is that not enough preventative measures are being taken to mitigate knife crime from eventually taking place.
In Thames valley, the punishment for carrying knives has varied in recent months. According to The Ministry of Justice; 62 saw the culprit given an immediate jail sentence, 23 resulted in a suspended sentence, 16 in a community order and six in a caution.
The issue is also prominent across the UK. In England and Wales, 4,063 cases which involved knife possession resulted in individuals who had been convicted or cautioned before not being given an immediate jail sentence between 2020 and 2021.
It has been suggested that this might be linked to the impact of the pandemic, as The Ministry of Justice also noted that there were higher number of cases not reaching sentencing on time in comparison to previous years pre-pandemic.
The Ben Kinsella Trust was set up in the name of a teenager stabbed to death in 2008, and said that the criminal justice system must regard carrying weapons with the "severity that it deserves." They are concerned that more needs to be done to prevent the issue.
The Chief Executive Patrick Green said: "We are committed to preventative and targeted approaches to put an end to knife crime, but for those who consistently reoffend we rely on the criminal justice system to play a major role in our ongoing struggle."
"The figures raise concern about the criminal justice system's effectiveness at reducing weapon carriers on our streets.
The stop-and-search campaign has been implemented by the police over the years to mitigate incidents before they happen, with the aim being to deter people from getting hold of the weapons in the first place.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said:
“We are also recruiting 20,000 extra police officers, making it easier to use stop and search and ensuring the most serious offenders spend more time behind bars to protect the public."
They also been noted that each case and the factors involved will vary from one to the next, and that sentencing remains the responsibility of independent judges.