In the 12 months ending March 2018, 285 people lost their lives as a result of knife crime in the UK. This figure is the highest number recorded since the Home Office Homicide Index began in 1946.
132 of those who died were killed in London, the highest recording made in 10 years. Figures linked to homicide do not usually vary significantly from year-to-year, which is why this steep increase in figures is particularly striking.
Between 2010 and 2017, numbers of police officers fell by more than 20,000, with this sharp decrease leading those living in areas worst affected to begin feeling that much of the blame lies within an insufficient justice system that is failing its young people. Home Secretary Sajid Javid has repeatedly called for police to be given “the resources they need”, whilst urging that the country’s struggle with knife crime must be “treated like a disease”.
Cuts to policing have undoubtedly coincided with the rapid increase in knife crime offences. However, others point to a wider range of factors. The ever-expanding drugs trade, austerity measures, as well as the influences of social media and ‘drill’ music are all identified as leading causes. An overwhelming climate of fear and mistrust are also at the forefront of the UK’s struggle with knife crime. In spite of this, one thing is for certain, there is no stand-alone element that can be blamed for such violence taking place on what has now become a daily basis. Rather, a multitude of internal and external influences are to be understood and addressed before any significant changes can be made.
These images serve as a visual representation of the British knife crime epidemic. Through documenting the landscape of murder within the capital city, pretences surrounding geographical boundaries are broken down and cease to exist. Alongside the methodical recording of individual cases, this work aims to act as a new platform for those who have been directly affected by such violence, as well as those that are actively looking to fight it, to have their stories and voices heard.
