Two-thirds of knife crime convictions in the West Midlands were first-time offenders

Ministry of Justice figures show 655 first-time knife criminals in the West Midlands went through the criminal justice system in the year ending in March.

They account for 68 per cent of all those found guilty of knife and offensive weapon offences, and of those only 23 per cent were jailed immediately.

The worrying rise in knife crime is a serious issue in the region.

Just last month, Prabjeet Veadhesa and Sukhman Shergill, both 17, were locked up for a total of 34 years for the murder of Wolverhampton teenager Ronan Kanda in June 2022.

Ronan's heartbroken family has joined the growing calls for tougher controls on machete sales after it emerged his teenage killers had bought vicious blades over the internet.

In February, Moses Smith, 40, of Lindon Road, Brownhills, was given a life sentence with a minimum term of 12 years after stabbing to death insurance worker Abdi Mohamed in Wednesbury in June 2021.

And in June this year, a pair of house raiders who were part of a gang which brutally attacked a pensioner in his own home were jailed for 30 years.

A 71-year-old man was hit in the face with a hammer and stabbed, while a seven-year-old boy had a knife held against his throat during the terrifying ordeal in Oldbury in February 2019.

Stewart Homer, aged 43, of Bluebell Road, Dudley, was sentenced to 16 years imprisonment and Susan Scott, 45, of Hollywell Close, Coseley, received a 14-year jail term.

They were both charged with and convicted of robbery, wounding and possessing an offensive weapon at Birmingham Crown Court.

But across England and Wales, the proportion of offenders sent into immediate custody for a knife offence fell from 37 per cent in the year ending March 2020 to 30 per cent this year.

The West Midlands has seen a similar trend.

Offenders were cautioned or sentenced 960 times for knife-related crimes in the region.

Of those, 313 (33 per cent) resulted in immediate jail sentences – fewer than in 2019-20, when the figure stood at 39 per cent.

Patrick Green, chief executive of anti-knife crime charity Ben Kinsella Trust, said the law is not providing a sufficient deterrent and many first-time knife criminals go on to become serial offenders.

Mr Green said: “One possibility is that young people are feeling increasingly unsafe, and that they are mistakenly carrying knives for protection.

“Protecting our youth and fostering a safe environment for all should be a government priority.”

He added children are also influenced by social media, which “often portrays knives in a glamorised way” and said young people must be provided with the necessary support, education, and opportunities to steer them away from violence.

Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics also show West Midlands Police recorded a 21 per cent increase in possession of weapon offences in the year to March, compared to the previous 12 months, while reports of the same nature to Staffordshire Police saw a 71 per cent rise for that time period.

However, police bosses claimed there had been significant reductions in crime since introducing a new local policing model.

Police have also been given more powers in a bid to take knives off the streets.

Serious violence reduction orders were introduced on April 19 in four police force areas, including the West Midlands and, if granted, they allow officers to stop and search past offenders over the age of 18 to identify if they are in possession of a knife or blade.

It aims to make it easier for police to search them for weapons, but the move has been criticised by the West Midlands Police Federation, which said the measure failed to target the right people and the idea needs re-thinking.