Policing’s fight against knife crime strengthened with coordination centre

A new National Knife Crime Coordination Centre (NKCCC) is reaching the final stages of development and will officially launch in 2026, where it will provide a skilled central team to support policing in the many different ways it is working to tackle knife crime.

Led by Commander Stephen Clayman, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) lead for knife crime, the centre, funded by the Home Office, will help deliver the Government’s ambition to halve knife crime in 10 years and implement Ronan’s Law. It is currently in a proof-of-concept phase and already delivering results.  

In late 2024, the NPCC’s knife crime working group was tasked with leading the largest ever review into how knives are sold online to identify any gaps in legislation which would prevent them being sold illegally to under-18s. A number of recommendations were made in this review with some immediately being taken forward by the Government in the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill and others for consultation.

The need for a coordination centre was one of the recommendations in order to bring together law enforcement, wider partners and industry to manage new legislation, coordinate policing activity and tackle illegal grey market knife sellers and importation.

The NKCCC will deliver a number of elements including building on the success of a Metropolitan Police pilot to identify and tackle offenders who use the internet to sell and distribute weapons online. Referred to as the ‘grey market’, this is where individuals purchase large quantities of knives and weapons and then sell them through social media platforms, circumventing traditional retailers and existing legal safeguards. The centre will harness this learning and expertise, providing intelligence and tasking to police forces about sellers in their local area. There has already been over 50 content removals carried out with social media  companies and 12 individuals charged, with more tasked for further investigation.

As well as enforcement, the NKCCC will bring policing and industry together, helping to deliver Ronan’s Law  with forthcoming legislation like bulk sales referral, building on relationships with stakeholders and partners to find collaborative ways to crack down on knife crime. Other measures like a new licensing scheme for retailers is soon to enter public consultation.

Commander Stephen Clayman said:

“The objective of the coordination centre is clear and ambitious, bringing together policing, other agencies and industry to deliver evidence-based solutions which will reduce knife crime and keep our communities safer. We are already seeing some positive results.

“We have always said that tackling knife crime needs a collaborative approach and through the centre we will have the capability and expertise to bring genuine change. One example is our work with tech companies around knife sellers using their platforms; by developing those relationships we can work together to not only remove harmful content but ensure it doesn’t end up on those sites in the first place.

“The knife crime working group has gone from strength to strength over the last few years and I am excited that we now have this opportunity to build on that success, working with Government and our partners to help achieve the ambition of halving knife crime within 10 years.”  

In addition to the work which the centre will carry out, the national knife crime working group has worked with government to provide the following legislative changes:

• Enable the police to seize, retain and destroy knives held in private when they are lawfully on private property and have reasonable grounds to suspect the item(s) will likely be used in connection with unlawful violence.
• Increase the maximum penalty, from six months’ imprisonment to two years’ imprisonment, for the offences of private possession, importation, manufacture, sale or supply of prohibited offensive weapons and knives and of selling knives to those under 18
• Introduce a new offence of possession of a knife or offensive weapon in public or private with intent to use unlawful violence. The offence will carry a maximum penalty of four years’ imprisonment.
• The ban of ‘zombie-style’ knives and machetes that are clearly designed to intimidate and cause harm, rather than serve any practical purpose, which came into force in 2024 supports policing in stopping their manufacture and overall availability.
• The ninja sword ban came into force on 1 August 2025 as part of ‘Ronan’s Law’ following a surrender scheme for these weapons and extended surrender scheme which saw nearly 60,000 knives removed from communities.
• Policing continues to work in close partnership with the Home Office, retailers, tech companies and the third sector to find ways we can bring meaningful, long-term change that will make our streets safer

Ronan's Law is UK legislation that includes banning specific "ninja swords" and implementing stricter regulations on online knife sales. The law was passed in memory of 16-year-old Ronan Kanda, who was murdered with a ninja sword in 2022, and is designed to combat knife crime.