Retired judge calls for stricter laws on sale of pointed kitchen knives
Nic Madge believes rounded knives could have a huge impact on our justice system
A top judge is calling for stricter laws on the sale of pointed kitchen knives - telling us it could have a huge impact on our justice system.
In the most recent data, by the home office, kitchen knives were used in two-thirds of all fatal stabbings between March 2023 and April 2024, meaning two people were killed every week by pointed domestic knives.
In contrast, zombie knives, samurai swords, and Rambo knives accounted for only 12.7% of such homicides.
Nic Madge retired in 2018, serving in courts across London, Peterborough and Luton. He was involved in several high profile cases involving violence and knife crime and believes a lot of them involved kitchen knives.
Due to this, he is now calling for rounded knives to be introduced into people's homes, he said: "It's very easy for a boy to take a kitchen knife from him parents kitchen draw or his friend's parents house.
"Often they don't think what they're going to do with them, they're just taking them because over people are doing or it's because they're frightened and want to defend themselves.
"I've listened to many cases involving people who have been harmed, injured or killed by knife crime. If there were to be a change in design it would not end knife crime, it would not end injuries or killings but it would significantly reduce it."
This week we've been hearing from campaigners, researchers and Kent Police - after they gave us exclusive access into their latest tactics to tackle knife crime.
For the past year the counties' force have been offering those who've suffered the devastating consequences of stabbings - and vulnerable families - the chance to transfer their sharp kitchen knives for one with a blunted edge.
Since it was introduced last year, knife crime has dropped by 17% across Kent.