Now that the U.K. has managed to cut police forces, outlaw pretty much all guns in their cities and confiscate knives, screwdrivers and…well, pretty much anything sharp that a person might carry, it turns out stabbing deaths…
…have skyrocketed.
According to the Economist, between January and March of last year, 285 people were stabbed to death in England and Wales, the highest number since the government first started keeping track in 1946. Even more disturbing is the fact that the number of people 18 and under being treated for stab wounds at local hospitals is up two-thirds over the past five years. In fact, a total of nine teenagers have been stabbed to death in London, Birmingham and Manchester since the start of 2019.
And it's not just in cities, anymore. The Guardian reports that according to government data, there’s been a 45.7 percent average increase in stabbings across 34 English and Welsh counties since 2010, with an 11 percent increase in the cities. In Kent county alone, knife crimes have skyrocketed a stunning 152 percent.
The problem’s gotten so bad, in fact, that the popular grocery store chain ASDA has announced they’ll no longer sell single kitchen knives. Poundland, a British variety store chain, has stopped selling knives altogether.
While no one’s been able to articulate exactly why knife crime is on such a steep rise, government officials say it’s largely do to an increase in gang activity and the drug trade. Law enforcement, on the other hand, says it's got at least something to do with the fact that the U.K. has slashed thousands of police officers from their departments.
Despite the hefty rise in fatal stabbings, the U.K. has made significant cuts to its police forces in recent years, chopping at least 22,000 officers thanks to budget cuts since 2009, according to government estimates. Even still, U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May has insisted the cuts have “no correlation” to the rise in knife crime.