Repeat knife crime offenders at record high in West Yorkshire, figures show

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The number of repeat knife crime offenders in West York hit a record high in the past year, figures show.

Ministry of Justice data shows that the Criminal Justice System dealt with 753 knife and offensive weapon offenders in West Yorkshire in the year to March.

Of these, 214 had a previous conviction or caution, meaning almost a third (28.4 per cent) were committed by repeat offenders. This figure is the highest since records began a decade ago, and up from 26.4 per cent the year before.

Repeat knife crime offenders

Knife crime charity, Ben Kinsella Trust has said the figures are concerning and is calling for investment into rehabilitating offenders, rather than just ‘locking them up’.

Patrick Green, chief executive of the Ben Kinsella Trust, said:

“The increasing number of repeat offenders with knife crime convictions is alarming.”

He called for “crucial” investment in rehabilitation to break the “cycle of reoffending” the figures expose.

Meanwhile, the data shows a similar trend across England and Wales as overall, 31.5 per cent of knife and offensive weapon offenders had a previous conviction or caution – the highest rate since 2014.

In West Yorkshire, Operation Jemlock was set up by police in 2019, in a bid to tackle knife and serious violent crime head-on. It sees officers patrolling high-priority areas to provide a reassuring, highly visible presence within those communities and enforcement when required.

This year, officers marked a major milestone having made more than 11,000 arrests and recovering over 2,000 weapons since its inception.

New knife detectors to assist in fight against violent crime

This month West Yorkshire Police announced plans for five new state-of-the-art knife detectors to be deployed across West Yorkshire to support the ongoing drive to tackle serious violence.

Police have previously deployed older-style knife arches at transit hubs such as train and bus stations and at large-scale events.

The new systems have been described as more sophisticated and sensitive than previous technology and are fully portable, allowing for quicker assembly than older knife arch systems.

They are described as being able to quickly scan large numbers of people and can detect a wide variety of weapons including guns and items such as small as razor blades.

Operation Jemlock

Operation Jemlock itself was formed in 2019 which involves officers patrolling high-priority areas to provide a reassuring, highly visible presence within those communities and the required enforcement when required.

Due to the officers working on the operation, areas patrolled by Jemlock have witnessed significant reductions in knife crime and serious violence offences.

The operation works in close collaboration with the VRP which was formed in 2019 to tackle the underlying causes of violent offending.

It also helps fund vital local projects that undertake positive preventative work with children and young people.

Chief Inspector James Kitchen of West Yorkshire Police’s Operation Jemlock said:

“Since the launch of Jemlock, we have seen sustained falls in overall knife offending and new tools available to us, such as these new search poles, will certainly assist us in helping to keep drive knife crime down.

“These new units are quicker to set up and easier to operate than our older knife arches, and more sophisticated at detecting weapons of all kinds, including smaller items such as razor blades.

“The sensors are also able to better detect the location of potential weapons on a person which means our searches will be swifter and less intrusive.

“Every seizure makes communities safer and much more intensive work to take illegal weapons off the streets and target those carrying them is planned.”

Director of the West Yorkshire Violence Reduction Partnership (VRP), Det Ch Supt. Lee Berry added:

“Prevention is always better than cure, and our investment in these new detectors will ensure we can quickly identify those carrying weapons, taking the appropriate action.

“Since the VRP was initially established in 2019, we have reached over 100,000 children and young people through a portfolio of interventions, projects, and programmes.”

CICA – Compensation for knife crime

If you have been a victim of knife crime, you may be entitled to claim compensation.

Since 1964, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) and its predecessor (Criminal Injuries Compensation Board), has paid over £3 billion in compensation.

In 1996, a statutory scheme was introduced under the provisions of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Act 1995.

Designed to compensate blameless victims of violent crimes including physical and sexual assaults, the CICA has been revised in 2001, 2008 and 2012, compensating for over 300 different injuries ranging in compensation between £1,000 – £250,000.

Individuals may be eligible for an award if they sustain a criminal injury directly attributable to being a direct victim of a crime of violence committed in a relevant place.

What is a ‘Crime of Violence’?

The CICA defines a ‘Crime of Violence’ as a crime which, by intention or recklessness, involves any of the following:

A physical attack
Any other act (or failure to act) of a violent nature which causes physical injury to a person
A threat against a person causing fear of immediate violence
Sexual assault
Arson

What is a ‘Relevant Place’

A relevant place means Great Britain. However, some further niche areas fall under the CICA’s definition. This includes a British-controlled aircraft, a British-controlled hovercraft, or a lighthouse off the coast of Great Britain.

Can my conduct or previous convictions affect my eligibility?

The CICA has the power to apply reductions or even outright reject an application if, before, during, or after the incident giving rise to a criminal injury, the applicant’s conduct makes it inappropriate to make an award or full award.

In some circumstances, it may reduce or even withhold a compensation award where an applicant has previous criminal convictions.

This is largely dependent on whether a conviction is ‘spent’ or ‘unspent’. Simply put, each conviction has a period in which it remains relevant in law until it has elapsed. This time differs depending on the severity of the offence.

By speaking to our team of knowledgeable solicitors, we can advise whether your previous convictism may affect the claim.

Is there a time limit to make a claim?

As a general rule, the crime must have taken place within the last two years to put in a criminal injury application to the CICA. There can be exceptions to this rule if, due to exceptional circumstances, the applicant could not have applied earlier.

If an applicant was a child under the age of 18 on the date of the criminal incident, they have until they turn 20 years old to submit a claim.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the police have been known to tell an individual not to put in a claim to the CICA until after a criminal investigation has concluded however this can put you in severe danger of missing the pre-imposed deadlines that have been set.

How much compensation will I get?

The CICA introduced a statutory scheme in 1996 that has undergone multiple amendments over the past two decades. The current Scheme (the 2012 edition), contains an injury tariff that provides for multiple common injuries ranging in severity and value.

Common awards include:

A fractured jawbone resulted in ongoing problems. This would be valued at £3,500 and could rise to £6,200 if an operation had taken place.
Facial scarring causing serious disfigurement. This could be valued up to £11,000.
Injuries resulting in permanent tinnitus which is very severe can be valued at £16,500.
Loss of teeth could be valued up to £3,500.
A permanent and seriously disabling psychological injury, with a potential value of up to £27,000.

We can also help you claim for loss of earnings if your injury has affected your ability to work and special expenses (for example, medical expenses or alterations to your household, that have arisen as a result of your injury).

Bereavement payments and fatal cases

In the unfortunate event that someone passes away due to a criminal injury, there are provisions available for a qualifying relative of the deceased to utilise. Some examples of a qualifying relative are a person, who at the time of the deceased’s death are:

The spouse or civil partner of the deceased, who was living with the deceased in the same household
The partner of the deceased (other than a spouse/civil partner) who was living with the deceased in the same household for a continuous period of at least two years before the date of death
A parent of the deceased
A child of the deceased

There is a standard bereavement payment of £11,000 however if there is more than one person who satisfies these criteria, the bereavement payment is £5,500 each.

There is also the potential to add dependency payments, child payments, and a contribution to any funeral payments made to an applicant’s CICA claim.

Why choose Oakwood Solicitors Ltd to make my claim?

Oakwood Solicitors Ltd agrees to work on your CICA criminal injury claim on a ‘no-win, no-fee’ basis. If your claim is unsuccessful, you will not be expected to pay us a penny.

If you are successful in your claim, we take a percentage of the compensation meaning that the only time we will receive money is if we have brought your claim to a fruitful conclusion.

You will have a dedicated advisor who will see your claim through from start to finish, assisting you in the event of any queries or issues you may have. If it is preferable to you, we can assign you one of our female advisors to carry out your claim.

Your case handler will also continue to provide regular updates until the conclusion of your claim, ensuring the process is as stress-free and effortless as possible.