Of the 262 homicides by a sharp instrument in 2023/24, 109 (42%) involved a kitchen knife, 18 (7%) a machete and 13 (5%) a combat, rambo or military-style knife, while 45 (17%) involved a sharp instrument where the type was not known or never recovered.
Luther star Elba, 52, has called for a ban on kitchen knives with a pointed end, in a bid to tackle knife crime.
Elba has long been campaigning on the issue of youth violence, starting the initiative Don’t Stop Your Future (DSYF), which works with community grassroots organisations in a bid to put an end to knife crime.
Data, published by the Office for National Statistics, found around eight in 10 (83%) teenage homicides in England and Wales involve a knife or sharp instrument – a far higher proportion than across the population as a whole.
Last year, he called for an immediate ban on machetes and so-called zombie knives, and in September met Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to launch a new anti-knife crime coalition.
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