The aim of the legislation is to address and help to reduce the current problems in relation to knife crime and other serious weapons. It remains to be seen as to whether the new measures will be effective and we will be monitoring all new measures being brought in very closely.
After analysing Freedom of Information request responses from 29 out of 43 police forces, Channel 4 discovered that the number of police-recorded offenders aged under 18 using a knife or sharp instrument to commit homicide rose by the worryingly high figure of 77% from 26 to 46 from 2016 to 2018.
From Today, Monday 24th April 2017 the Sentencing Guidelines Council has published the revised Magistrates’ Court Sentencing Guidelines which are now in effect.
From 27th October 2013 the updated Police & Criminal Evidence Act Codes of Practice come into force. One important update is that 17 year olds will be treated as youths in the police station and it will be mandatory for their interests to be represented by an Appropriate Adult.
