Youth Select Committee 2019 begin investigation into UK's rising knife crime

The announcement comes following a UK-wide ballot of young people 1.1 million aged 11 to 18 in which young people declared knife crime their biggest concern.

And more than 100,000 people signed a Parliament and Government petition demanding a debate on knife crime – resulting in Parliament debating the issue last month.

What is the Government doing to fight knife crime?

Research from the House of Commons library showed that knife crime, particularly where it affects young people, has been a ‘persistent and growing concern' for successive governments. 

Putting a stop to the ever-growing scourge of knife crime is fast becoming a national priority, with the Government making several announcements in recent months, including the introduction of knife crime prevention orders and investment in early intervention projects.

The 2019 Youth Select Committee inquiry

Now in its eighth year, the Youth Select Committee is a British Youth Council initiative, supported by the House of Commons. The eleven committee members are aged 15-17 and include Members of the UK Youth Parliament, Youth Councillors, and representatives from each of the devolved nations.

This year, the committee will look at issues including:

• Is the Government strategy doing enough to effectively combat knife crime?
• Are there trends in the statistics of who is perpetrating and who are the victims of knife crime?
• How is knife crime affecting public services?

Why is this new inquiry so important?

Bailey-Lee Robb, a Member of the Youth Select Committee from Fife, Scotland said: “Young people have made it very clear that knife crime continues to be a significant concern.

“The Youth Select Committee want to hear from a whole range of people on this issue so we can find solutions that will have a demonstrable impact of the lives of young people.”

Rt. Hon John Bercow MP, Speaker of the House of Commons said: “Every year the Youth Select Committee play a vital role in raising awareness about the issues affecting young people across the country.

“This year the Committee's determination to tackle the epidemic of knife crime is something that I wholly support. I will be following this pioneering Committee as they investigate the scourge of knife crime and I eagerly anticipate their report.”

How can you get involved?

The Youth Select Committee call for evidence closes on Friday 7th June 2019, and the Committee will hold oral evidence sessions in the House of Commons on the 5th and 12th July.

You can find out more about the Youth Select Committee inquiry into knife crime, including terms of reference and member profiles, and how you can get involved, on the British Youth Council website.

Want to have your voice heard? The Committee welcomes all contributions to the inquiry. This year you can either choose to respond to our terms of reference set out here, or answer our short survey here.