Bristol knife crime incidents on the up, stats suggest
There were nearly 2,000 incidents involving knives recorded in the city between April 2023 and March 2024
Last updated 14th Jan 2025
The number of knife crimes in Bristol shot up by over a quarter last year according to the latest police data.
1,953 crimes involving knives were recorded between April 2023 and March 2024, compared to 1,553 the previous year, an increase of 26 per cent.
Serious violence offences involving knives saw an even larger jump of 38 per cent, with 585 crimes recorded last year, compared to 423 the year before. However, “increased intensive police operations” have also resulted in more offences being logged.
Details were revealed in the annual report of the Bristol Community Safety Partnership, which coordinates work of the council, Avon and Somerset Police and other public sector organisations. The public health policy committee will consider the report on Friday, January 17.
In the report, Mark Runacres, neighbourhood policing superintendent, said: “During the past 12 months the city has witnessed the tragic loss of young lives through knife crime, bringing understandable concern and focus on how agencies and communities are working together. The impacts of the awful incidents in Ilminster Avenue and Rawnsley Park were felt across the city and beyond.
“It takes time to grieve and find a way forward for families, individuals, communities and the city. For those working in the BCSP it’s a time for reflection, learning and improving. With the bereaved families at the heart of the response to these incidents, communities have come together and shown compassion and strength to support each other.”
Compared to other major English cities, there were relatively fewer violent crimes in Bristol than elsewhere.
The rate of violent crimes that caused injury per 1,000 population in Bristol was 10.7, less than Newcastle with 15.3; Birmingham and Nottingham both with 13.7; Manchester with 13; Liverpool with 12.3; and Leeds with 11.1. But the rate in Bristol was higher than London’s 8.9.
What should be done?
In 2024, now 21-year-old Serena Weibe from Bristol was invited to join the new Labour government's anti-knife crime coalition, which is looking at how to achieve Westminster's target of halving knife crime offences in a decade.
Serena, who works at the Bristol boxing gym Empire Fighting Chance became a campaigner on the issue after losing her friend Eddie Kinuthia to a fatal stabbing in July 2023. To date no one has been charged with his murder.
Reacting to these latest statistics, Serena said: "I'm not surprised at all and it's going to keep going up if we're not doing enough.
"There's not enough being done since all these young people passed away."
Since Serena's friend Eddie was killed, Bristol has also seen Max Dixon (16) and Mason Rist (15) killed in the same incident in Knowle West and Darrian Williams (16) fatally stabbed in Easton.
Alex Mamwa (30) was also killed in St Pauls in March 2024, very close to where Eddie lost his life.
"There's not enough youth clubs, there's not enough things for young people to do to get them out of these situations," Serena said.
Calls for more youth clubs are not new, with campaigners telling then Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper that more are needed, on a visit to Bristol prior to last July's General Election.
The calls however, are becoming increasingly loud.
"The thing with Empire is we're kind of like a boxing gym but then we're also a youth club," Serena said.
"A lot of young people, they come here after school so in that time, they're being protected.
"If we're not having things like youth clubs and after school clubs, where are our young people supposed to go? They end up on the streets.
"What are they going to do on the streets? Probably bump into the wrong people. You can literally get stabbed for anything these days."
A new youth centre called 224 is set to open this year between Hartcliffe and Knowle West, at a cost of £11 million, but Serena says we still need more.
"I think Knowle is definitely somewhere that needs stuff like that, that's positive," Serena said.
"I want to hear more stuff like that."