More than 2,000 knives were handed in across London during a month of action, as knife-enabled robberies fell by nearly a quarter in the areas worst affected, new Home Office figures show.
London accounted for by far the largest share of weapons deposited in surrender bins during August, with 2,017 knives and weapons handed in across the capital. The next highest total was West Yorkshire, with 439, including 337 in a single bin in Halifax.
Across the country, 3,811 knives and weapons were handed in during the month of intensified action in August. Of those, 3,049 were deposited at Home Office-funded ‘Word 4 Weapons’ surrender bins and 762 were handed to the ‘FazAmnesty’ mobile surrender van. In Yorkshire, eight new static bins were installed, and in August alone they collected 583 weapons.
A total of 80,190 knives and dangerous weapons — around 100 a day — have now been taken off Britain’s streets since the General Election, through Home Office surrender efforts, police and Border Force seizures, and intensified activity in knife crime hotspots and against criminal gangs.
Knife-enabled robbery has fallen by 24% across the seven forces most affected — the Metropolitan Police, Greater Manchester, West Midlands, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Avon and Somerset, and British Transport Police — compared with the June 2024 baseline. That is equivalent to 3,810 fewer robberies, and an improvement on the 23% reduction in the previous reporting period.
The forces have come together through the Home Office-led Knife Enabled Robbery Group to share intelligence and tactics to target offenders and hotspots.
Across England and Wales, knife crime is down by 11% since the General Election, equivalent to almost 6,000 fewer offences. Knife homicides are at a 35-year low, and hospital admissions following assault with a sharp object have fallen 16%, including a 19% fall among under-25s.
Policing and Crime Minister Sarah Jones said: “No parent should have to fear that their child will leave home carrying a knife, or that they might not come home because of one. That is why we are acting at every stage — through targeted enforcement, intervention and prevention — to keep young people and communities safe and prevent families suffering unimaginable loss.
“We are turning the tide, as these results clearly show, but we cannot be satisfied while lives are still being lost and communities are still being harmed.
“We will keep pushing forward until we deliver our promise to halve knife crime.”
The figures include 47,795 zombie-style knives and machetes surrendered through the 2024 surrender and compensation scheme, 3,942 ninja swords surrendered through the July 2025 scheme, and 3,570 knives and weapons surrendered through the extended surrender arrangements in July 2025. A further 11,787 were deposited in Home Office-funded surrender bins between September 2025 and July 2026, 1,900 were recovered through the County Lines Programme, and 7,385 were seized by Border Force.
Sandra Campbell, chief executive of Word 4 Weapons, said: “The surrender of more than 3,000 weapons through Word 4 Weapons surrender bins in August shows that when safe disposal opportunities are available, communities respond.
“Each knife or weapon removed from our streets and public spaces is one less that could be used to cause harm.”
Faron Paul, chief executive of FazAmnesty, said: “Every weapon surrendered is one less that could destroy a life, a family or a community.”
The results come as the government continues the roll-out of its £26.25 million Knife Crime Concentrations Fund, targeting more than 230 knife crime hotspots with extra patrols, targeting prolific offenders, better CCTV and working with young people at risk of violence.
The work has been supported by the Home Office’s new ‘No Place for Knives’ pilot communication campaign, launched in Birmingham, Croydon and Westminster earlier this month to raise awareness of visible enforcement measures such as extra patrols, rapid-response e-bikes and smarter metal detection.
In April this year, the National Knife Crime Centre was launched, led by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and funded by the Home Office. It has already identified 186 grey-market weapons sellers and reported 183 social media handles suspected of promoting or selling dangerous weapons to platforms so they can be shut down.
Commander Stephen Clayman, head of the centre, said: “These results are encouraging, but there can be no room for complacency. Tackling knife-enabled crime requires a collective effort, and it is vital that we continue working together to drive further reductions.”
Pooja Kanda, whose son Ronan was killed with a ninja sword in a case of mistaken identity, said: “Every knife removed from our streets is potentially a life saved, and I welcome the progress being made by this government. It is genuinely saving lives.”
The figures arrive against a backdrop of knife violence that continues to claim lives in the capital. Earlier this week, a man was convicted of murder after a stabbing in Westminster, while in Barking and Dagenham £307,000 has been put into youth and community schemes aimed at keeping young people away from violence.
As part of its plan to halve knife crime within a decade, the government is combining enforcement with work to prevent people being drawn into knife crime in the first place, including working with schools, Violence Reduction Units and local organisations to reach young people at risk.
