• Violent offences committed by 16 year-olds rose from 17% in 2004 to 25% in 2005, while those perpetrated by 15 year-olds increased from 20% in 2004 to 26% in 2005.
• 63% of young people surveyed thought that carrying a knife would get them more respect from their friends.
• The most commonly given reason for carrying a knife is ‘for protection'. Other reasons include ‘in case there's a fight' and ‘to use in crimes’.
• Police in one area of Scotland have seized more than 600 knives in just three years.
• Statistics from hospitals show the number of people admitted for ‘assault by sharp object’ has increased 30% from 1997 to 2005.
• The ‘It Doesn’t Have To Happen’ anti-knife crime campaign has been viewed over 10 million times on the internet, and over 70,000 visits to the Bebo site.
• Over 250,000 people have visited the www.nomoreknives.com website since it was launched in 2006.
• Nationally, six per cent of all violent crimes are knife related.
• Fatal stabbings now outnumber gun deaths in the UK by three to one. Latest figures show that the knife has become the most commonly used murder weapon.
• The number of people convicted of carrying a blade in public rose from 2,991 in 1999 to 5,308 in 2003. Of these 452 in 1999 and 755 in 2003 were aged between 15 and 17.
• A survey by the Bridgehouse Trust found that a quarter of children aged 12 to 16 admitted to carrying a knife. Of the crimes committed by young people, carrying a knife was the most common offence among children excluded from school, according to the Youth Justice Board.
• In 2004 almost half of shops tested had broken the law by selling knives to children under 16, says the Trading Standards Institute.
• Nationally, six per cent of all violent crimes are knife-related. Out of 820 homicides in 2004/5, 236 involved sharp instruments.