Research has revealed a concerning rise in knife-related deaths among children under 17.
At least two school-aged children die each month from knife injuries in England, with most fatalities resulting from a single stab wound, according to the first national analysis of its kind.
The research reveals a concerning rise in knife-related fatalities among children under 17, from 21 deaths in 2019/20 to 36 in 2023/24.
Two studies have shed light on knife crime by examining victims’ social backgrounds and the violence they were exposed to before their deaths.
In the first study, researchers from Bristol Medical School examined the demographics and injuries associated with the deaths of 145 children and young people under the age of 18 who died from knife wounds in England between April 2019 and March 2024.
Researchers analysed data from the National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) together with hospital, social care and police data to identify potential strategies to reduce the number of knife fatalities.
Of the 145 lives lost, 90% were male, with an average age of 14.4 years and 110 (75%) were from areas facing the greatest levels of poverty.
Around one third (32%) of those who died were black, and another third (31%) were white.
When analysed on a population basis, young people of black or black British ethnicity were around 13 times more likely to die of knife-related injury than children and young people who were white.
Most children who were victims of knife-related deaths were involved with statutory services prior to injury.
Of the 57 cases available for detailed analysis, injuries to the chest and neck caused 75% of deaths and 60% died before reaching hospital. Two thirds of those who died suffered a single stab wound.
Researchers found adverse childhood experiences were common among young people, with a history of domestic violence and abuse the most frequent.
A quarter of children (24%) lived with an adult with mental illness, and nearly a third (31%) lived in a household with substance abuse.
Gang involvement was mentioned in a third of case files, and concerns about carrying knives were recorded in a quarter (25%) of cases.
The researchers said the findings indicated the group at highest risk of experiencing a fatal stab wound in England were young people of black ethnicity who live in urban areas of deprivation.
Lead author Dr Tom Roberts, an A&E clinician at North Bristol NHS Trust, said: “Knife-related fatalities among children and young people are a significant public health concern.
“Our research identifies where action could be taken to prevent future tragedies and demonstrates the urgent need to support children facing adversity and marginalisation.
“Despite frequent contact with services, many children received no targeted support for adverse childhood experiences, especially domestic violence and abuse, revealing major gaps in early intervention.”
Co-author Dr Edd Carlton, also an A&E clinician at North Bristol NHS Trust, added: “Our findings show how dangerous carrying a knife can be, a single stab wound can prove fatal.
“It also emphasises the urgent need for prevention strategies that address the social, environmental, and structural factors behind these deaths.”
The second study examined the circumstances around the 58 deaths of children under 18 in England who died from knife injuries between 2019 and 2024 and had detailed NCMD case files.
The research explored how and why these children died, and the different types of violence they may have been exposed to at home, school or in their communities.
The study revealed that 58 children who died had experienced some form of violence or harm during their lives.
Many were both victims and perpetrators in different settings, the home, school, or community, but services often focused only on one aspect of their experience.
Lead author Dr Jade Levell, from the University of Bristol, said: “Our analysis shows that many of these children experienced multiple forms of violence across home, school, and community before their early deaths.
“Although it is not possible to conclusively say whether a specific intervention would have made a difference, it is plausible to believe that appropriate interventions that acknowledge the extent of violence cutting across different domains of home, school and community in some children’s lives could have made a positive difference.”
– The first study, Pre-Injury, injury and post-injury factors leading to death in children and young people who were victims of knife crime in England between 2019-2024: a review of the National Child Mortality Database, is published in the journal Emergency Medicine Journal.
– The second study, Childhood violence across distinct, overlapping, and concurrent contexts: polyvictimization, polyperpetration, and missed interventions points among child knife crime fatalities in England, is published in the journal Frontiers of Sociology.
