Judges ‘too soft’ on jailing repeat knife offenders

COURTS have been accused of being soft on knife crime as figures reveal the Government’s “two strikes” rule for repeat offenders is not being enforced.

Despite a pledge to jail anyone repeatedly caught with a knife for at least six months, judges are allowing almost four in 10 offenders to walk free, according to Ministry of Justice research.

Courts are using a legal loophole which states they can choose not to lock up repeat offenders if it “would not be in the interest of justice”.

Critics have said the Government is not doing enough to tackle a rise in knife crime across the country but particularly in the capital, where gang violence is also a problem.

Overall there were more than 21,000 offences involving possession of a knife or offensive weapon last year, the highest number in seven years. In a fifth of cases the offender was younger than 18.

The study aims to shed light on the reason behind the rise in young people carrying knives.

Despite an increase in convictions, there are fears that courts are not imposing maximum penalties when someone is caught with a knife more than once, meaning the policy does not act as a deterrent and instead offenders understand they can work the system and avoid jail time.

Sarah Jones, chairman of the Allparty Parliamentary group on Knife Crime, said: “There is a large body of evidence that shows the likelihood of conviction is a bigger deterrent than longer jail sentences.

“So if the Government is going to talk tough on knife crime with a two strike policy, it should at least be making sure it’s implemented.

“But tough sentences alone aren’t going to solve our knife crime epidemic. If someone is caught with a knife they need proper intervention to steer them away from crime. That simply isn’t happening right now.”

The Government introduced the new two strikes rule in July 2015, it means courts are obligated to hand down a mandatory six-month minimum sentence to repeat knife offenders to stop them from committing the crime again.

But evidence in the latest figures shows this only happens in 63 per cent of cases. The other 37 per cent of offenders receive some other form of punishment, using a loophole which allows them to avoid jail as the court deems it “would not be in the interest of justice” to lock them up.

In 72 per cent of all cases tested last year it was the offenders’ first knife-related offence.