Launch of week of action targeting knife crime in Essex

“It’s very easy to assume that knife crime is everywhere in Essex.
“That perception, which is rightly fuelled by a continued national focus on this serious issue, doesn’t necessarily reflect the reality.
“We know you’re very unlikely to become a victim of knife crime in this county.
“But we’re not blind to the fact this will mean very little to a person who has witnessed or even fallen victim to a knife-related offence.”

Detective Chief Inspector Ian Hughes, of our Serious Violence Unit (SVU), is speaking ahead of the launch of Sceptre – a national initiative to tackle knife crime across the UK.

The operation brings together all 43 police forces and British Transport Police in a week of intensified action from Monday 13 May.

In Essex, our focus is on identifying the people likely to become perpetrators of knife crime – and isolating what work can be done with partners to reach them.

The picture in Essex

We know knife crime suspects in Essex are 88% male and more than half are aged between 10 and 19.

The highest single proportion of victims are male, aged between 10 and 19.

In the year to April 2024, we recorded 1,519 knife-enabled offences across the county, recording 112 fewer knife-enabled offences than in the 12 months to April 2023.

This is a drop of 7% year-on-year and a fall of 7.5% compared to pre-Covid levels.

'Knife crime often linked to drug dealing'

Det Ch Insp Hughes said:

“We are constantly working to stay on the front foot when it comes to knife crime in Essex, and that means working to identify the trends of who is carrying a knife and for what purpose.
“Within the Serious Violence Unit, our proactive work tackling drug dealing gangs across Essex tells us these groups often exploit children to do their dirty work.
“Often this activity involves the carrying or use of knives, either as an ill-thought-out means of protection, as a show of strength, or even simply out of fear.
“Status and posturing amongst young people caught up in criminality, combined with accessibility – the ability to get hold of knives – all lie at the heart of this issue.
“This is why a whole-system approach to knife crime is absolutely vital, and why we have specialist safeguarding teams embedded within our SVU to protect those who are being exploited by gangs.
“We work extensively with partners in our Violence and Vulnerability Unit, which brings together agencies from the education, health authorities and the criminal justice system to work on early interventions with young people at risk of falling into criminality.”

Our focus extends to identifying those likely to fall victim to knife-enabled offending – and on giving a voice to those touched by the issue.

Throughout the week, we will be sharing the stories and messages of families left devastated by the impact of knife crime.

We’ll also be focusing on our work with retailers in Essex as we aim to address and enforce the safe sale of knives to the public.

Det Ch Insp Hughes said:

“Whilst the figures are trending in the right direction, I know that will mean very little to people who have been the victim of a serious knife crime offence.
“My plea is, you may perceive that knife crime is everywhere, that it’s happening all around you, but it is not.
“We have an innovative and effective approach to tackling it through our ‘Op Grip’ hotspot policing model, which was trialled in Essex and now rolled out across England and Wales.
“That model sees visible patrols taking place in areas which we know, statistically, there is a higher likelihood of violent crime being committed.
“Not only that, we know the times at which those incidents of violence are likely to take place and the patrols are focused in those times in order to be most effective.
“Our message to young people who may worry about knife crime is simple.
“It is extremely worrying to hear about people who have been injured or even killed with a knife – but carrying a knife yourself does not make you any safer and in fact can put you more at risk.
“Carrying a knife in public, in any situation, we know will only make matters worse.
“The reality is in Essex we know it as a small number of people who are carrying knives, but that number is always one too many.
“It is absolutely vital, if you know someone who does carry a knife, you report it to us. Or, if you would prefer, speak to a trusted family member or a teacher.
“Alternatively there are ways of making a report entirely anonymously, through charities like Crimestoppers.”

Do you want to report non-emergency crime, anti-social behaviour or tell us about suspicious behaviour in your community?

You can report it online or use our Live Chat service.

Our Live Chat service is available on our website 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can send and receive real-time messages with an online operator.

To use the service, select the ‘Live Chat’ icon at the bottom right of your screen when you're on our website.

We still have our 24-hour 101 service which people can call if they feel it is more appropriate to speak to us or don't have access to the internet.

Remember if a crime is happening now and someone is in immediate danger, call 999.

If you have a hearing or speech impairment, use our textphone service 18000 or text us on 999 if you’ve pre-registered with the emergencySMS service.

You can also contact an officer, member of staff or team through our website, submit a general enquiry or provide feedback.

If you would like to make an anonymous report you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers, by visiting their website or by calling 0800 555 111.

Are you worried that a friend or someone you know may be being exploited through County Lines or organised criminal activity?

Maybe they are returning home late, staying out all night or even going missing for days or weeks at a time.

Are they suddenly being secretive about who they are talking to or where they are going?

Or perhaps you’ve noticed they have large amounts of money on them, or new clothing, jewellery or phones they wouldn’t be able to afford.

Through Fearless, young people can pass on information 100% anonymously to get help.

If you need help from police, call 101 or, if it's an emergency, always call 999.

At Essex Police, we value difference. We know we’re strongest when we work together. And we want a workforce that represents our communities. 

If you share our values and want to help people, keep people safe and catch criminals, then join us as a police officer, member of staff, special constable or volunteer.

Find out if you #FitTheBill by visiting our careers page.