Knife Crime

8 • Mandate trauma-informed approaches in all youth services, including the deployment of youth workers in hospital emergency departments and other critical intervention points. • Create dedicated educational re-engagement pathways for young people excluded from school, in recognition of the strong correlation between educational exclusion and weapon-carrying behaviour. • Expand restorative justice options for knife-related offences, with presumptions in favour of restorative approaches for first-time young offenders. Legal and Human Rights Safeguards: • Introduce explicit age-differentiated provisions that recognise children's distinct legal status, including mandatory consideration of welfare needs before any enforcement action. • Establish independent oversight mechanisms to monitor the application of seizure powers, with particular attention to potential discriminatory impacts on minoritised communities. • Reverse the burden of proof for property seizure, requiring police to demonstrate to a magistrates' court that retention of seized items is necessary and proportionate. Impact Monitoring and Evaluation: • Embed safeguards to prevent the disproportionate criminalisation of racially minoritised children and those with neurodevelopmental disabilities. This includes: → Establishing comprehensive data collection requirements for all enforcement actions under the Bill, and monitoring disaggregated data by ethnicity, age, and SEND/disability status; → Ensuring equal access to diversion and support; → Implementing mandatory training for all officers exercising these powers on child development, trauma-informed practice, and anti-discriminatory policing. • Work in partnership with local communities, including those disproportionately impacted by serious youth violence, to co-design interventions, build trust, and improve accountability. This may include the establishment of local advisory panels