Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Knife Crime: Support for Children

Tuesday 17 March 2026 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Adam Thompson asked about steps to support children involved in knife crime through the criminal justice system.
  • The Government introduced reforms to ensure every child caught with a knife receives a mandatory plan to prevent reoffending.
  • The Government expressed condolences for the family and community affected by the death of Noah Smedley.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Adam Thompson Lab Erewash
Crime & Law Enforcement Justice & Courts
Context

The question arises from the concern over children being caught with knives and the need for a mandatory plan to prevent reoffending. The Labour Government has introduced reforms.

Question

What steps he is taking to help support children involved in knife crime through the criminal justice system. We have introduced reforms to ensure that every child caught with a knife receives a mandatory plan to prevent reoffending. There is still much more to do, and we will set out a cross-Government plan to reform the youth justice system over the coming weeks.

Answer from Jake Richards

This Labour Government are committed to halving knife violence. We have introduced reforms to ensure that every child caught with a knife receives a mandatory plan to prevent reoffending. There is still much more to do, and we will set out a cross-Government plan to reform the youth justice system over the coming weeks.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answer acknowledges the issue but does not provide specific steps or actions beyond general commitments.

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Q2 Adam Thompson Lab Erewash
Crime & Law Enforcement
Context

Noah Smedley, an 18-year-old from Ilkeston, was killed in December 2024 by a 17-year-old with a Rambo knife. This tragic incident caused significant public outcry and grief.

Question

In December 2024, 18-year-old Noah Smedley from Ilkeston in my constituency was killed when he was stabbed by a 17-year-old armed with a Rambo knife. For a young man to lose his life this way, murdered by another teenager, was absolutely devastating to our community. There was a very deep public outcry of grief in this tight-knit town with a strong local identity. Noah's death hit the town profoundly. Could the Minister outline the work that the Government are doing to protect young people, especially teenage boys, from the horrors of knife crime?

Answer from Jake Richards

Each case is an absolutely tragedy, and Noah's is no different. On behalf of the Government, I send our commiserations and thoughts to his family and, indeed, the whole community, which suffers when these events occur. In the past 18 months of this Labour Government, we have seen an 8% reduction in knife crime, which is a start. Very recently, we invested a further £15 million in the turnaround programme—a specialist programme aimed at early intervention, working particularly with young people and teenagers. We have set out a three-year funding settlement for youth justice services, offering for the first time in a generation that stability and certainty. We have taken tens of thousands of dangerous knives off the streets, and have invested in violence reduction units, young futures hubs and young futures panels. There is a lot more to do, but this Labour Government are getting on with the job of tackling knife crime.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answer acknowledges the issue but does not provide specific details or commitments beyond general statements about ongoing efforts.

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