Knife Killings Drop 21%, Statistics Reveal

According to recent data from England and Wales police forces, incidents involving knives or sharp objects decreased by 21% in 2025. This follows a prior report indicating that homicide rates had reached their lowest level in nearly five decades. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) published the latest figures, showing 172 knife-related killings recorded in 2025, compared to 217 in 2024. This marks the lowest count since the first comparable data was collected in 2010-11.

In addition to the decline in knife homicides, the ONS dataset highlights a 6% reduction in total homicide offenses. With 503 cases in 2025, this represents a drop from the 534 recorded in the previous year. The Crown Prosecution Service clarifies that homicide offenses include murder, manslaughter, infanticide, and situations where a child or vulnerable adult suffers death or serious harm.

Homicide offenses encompass murder, manslaughter, infanticide, and incidents resulting in the death or severe injury of a child or vulnerable adult, as defined by the Crown Prosecution Service.

The ONS also noted a 10% decrease in overall knife-related crimes, totaling 49,151 in 2025 against 2024’s 49,151. To contextualize these findings, the survey integrated estimates from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW), which polls individuals aged 16 and over about their crime experiences over the past year. It estimated 2.6 million thefts in 2025, reflecting an 11% decline from the previous year.

Police data within the ONS report indicated a slight 1% drop in shoplifting cases to 509,566 in 2025, despite recent spikes in the crime. However, the ONS highlights that the Home Office updated guidelines, instructing police to categorize shoplifting incidents involving violence or threats of violence as business property robberies. The ONS states this adjustment may have contributed to a ‘small effect’ on the recorded shoplifting figures since April 2025. The change likely explains the 78% surge in business robberies, rising from 14,691 in 2024 to 26,158 in 2025.