UK knife crime is falling – and the government wants your blade next
Key Points
- The Home Office is adding 8 new knife surrender bins across South and West Yorkshire, taking the national total to 45.
- A mobile surrender van tours the West Midlands this month before stopping at 24 London boroughs.
- Bins and the van run on a "no questions asked" basis, and anyone can use them anonymously.
- More than 15,000 knives and weapons have gone into the scheme since July last year.
- Knife-enabled homicides are down 26% since the general election, and knife homicides recorded by police are at their lowest level since 1990/91.
Anyone carrying a knife can hand it in anonymously at one of 45 surrender bins across England this month, with 8 new sites opening in South and West Yorkshire and a mobile van stopping at 24 London boroughs.
The Home Office funds the bins, which the charity Word 4 Weapons manages at locations in London, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands.
Those bins have taken more than 14,500 knives and weapons out of circulation since July last year, including ninja swords, zombie-style knives, machetes, swords and kitchen knives. A further 783 weapons went into a mobile surrender van operated by FazAmnesty, which supported the Home Office’s dedicated surrender scheme last summer, bringing the scheme total past 15,000.
The Home Office funds the bins, which the charity Word 4 Weapons manages at locations in London, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands.
Those bins have taken more than 14,500 knives and weapons out of circulation since July last year, including ninja swords, zombie-style knives, machetes, swords and kitchen knives.
A further 783 weapons went into a mobile surrender van operated by FazAmnesty, which supported the Home Office’s dedicated surrender scheme last summer, bringing the scheme total past 15,000.
How the surrender scheme works
Both the bins and the van operate on a “no questions asked” basis, so nobody handing in a weapon faces questions about where it came from or why they had it.
People must wrap and seal the weapon in a box or bag before depositing it, and the Home Office then disposes of everything securely. GOV.UK lists the location of every bin and each stop on the van’s route, alongside guidance on transporting a knife safely.
Home Office figures put overall knife crime down 11% since the July 2024 general election, with knife-enabled robberies down 16% and knife-enabled homicides down 26%.
Office for National Statistics data shows police in England and Wales recorded 176 knife homicides in 2025/26, down 14% on the previous year and the lowest annual figure since 1990/91. The government has committed to halving knife crime within a decade.
“Every dangerous weapon that has been surrendered so far is a weapon off our streets and a community made that little bit safer,” said Sarah Jones, policing and crime minister. “That’s why we’re going further and making it easier for more people in more places to do the right thing and hand over their knives. Knife crime is down by 11% since the general election but we will not stop until we meet our commitment of halving knife crime in a decade.”
Faron Paul, chief executive of FazAmnesty and a member of the government’s Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime, survived a knife attack in which he was stabbed 18 times and now works with communities to encourage weapon surrenders.
“The introduction of our mobile surrender van has given direct surrender opportunities into some of the hardest-to-reach communities. By engaging with residents, we are helping to remove barriers that might otherwise prevent someone from surrendering a knife,” said Paul.
Ronan’s Law: One year on
The surrender drive runs alongside Ronan’s Law, named after 16-year-old Ronan Kanda, who was killed in 2022 with a ninja sword bought online. His mother, Pooja Kanda, campaigned for the legislation, which tightened restrictions on dangerous weapons and closed loopholes in online sales. The law passed its first anniversary this month.
“Every knife handed into a surrender bin is one less weapon that could end a life or devastate a family like mine. I lost my 16-year-old son, Ronan, in a mistaken identity knife attack. He paid the ultimate price because someone else chose to carry a knife. There are no winners in knife crime,” said Kanda, founder of the Justice for Ronan Kanda campaign.
“Everyone can choose safe disposal through our Home Office-funded surrender bins, alongside Word 4 Weapons’ established network of bins, which has quietly served communities since 2007,” said Sandra Campbell, chief executive of Word4Weapons.
Beyond the surrender scheme, knife crime hotspots will see increased police patrols, new CCTV cameras, live facial recognition deployments and knife arches. The government is also funding Young Futures hubs, mentoring and targeted support for at-risk children through schools, youth services and local partners.
