An alarming surge in youth knife crime has exposed the critical gaps in police tracking and reporting of gang violence.

South Yorkshire is ranked as the fourth worst region in the country for knife crime, with over nine percent carried out by children aged 10 to 17.

New figures show that there were 1,403 knife crimes in Sheffield alone from early 2022 to March 2024, more than double compared to 2019-2020.

South Yorkshire police have admitted significant limitations in their ability to track gang-related incidents or knife crime in schools, due to the lack of a dedicated “gang-related” flag in their database.

Mum’s United, a South Yorkshire charity that tackles youth violence and child exploitation, says that gang violence is a prominent issue for youths in Sheffield.

Founder Saira Irshad said: “Whenever we’ve spoken to police about gang violence, they don’t want to label it.”

She added that the experience of living in the community tells an entirely different story.

A police spokesperson said that they can track organised crime, but not gang-related activity, as it would take more than 56,000 hours to review the data. 

Ms. Irshad said: “You see it in the amount of violence and people being stabbed. Not every stabbing is related, but at large they are, and police need to acknowledge that.

“These gangs are not the same as they are presented in the media; lurking in the shadows, they are gangs that could be your neighbours, brothers, or cousins. It happens very organically without even realising it. 

“The gangs use children for drug dealing as they are less likely to get noticed, and then the dealing leads to them carrying knives for protection.”

Between 2018 and 2023, over 300 children aged 10-17 were arrested for carrying a knife or blade.

South Yorkshire Police implemented initiatives such as Guns and Knives Take Lives and Your Life, Your Choice, which aim to educate young people about the dangers of carrying knives and gang involvement. 

Yet only a fraction of schools have access to these sessions, due to capacity in being able to deliver the one-hour session.

Katy Ryan, a primary school teacher from Sheffield, said: “This is a critical issue. If we don’t fully understand the extent of knife crime in schools, how can we ensure the safety of students and staff?”

Always an Alternative, a youth charity that aims to spread awareness around reducing knife crime, gang culture, and antisocial behaviour, said this is an ongoing issue that needs urgent attention.

Anthony Olaseinde (Big Ant), founder of Always an Alternative, said: “We need better support for young people to steer them away from violence and gang involvement.”

Sheffield City Council’s budget cuts for youth centres have been drastic, decreasing by 52.5% from £8 million in 2013/14 to just £3.8 million in 2019/20.

Only £20,000 was allocated for knife crime prevention efforts in 2022/23 and 2023/24, less than 1% of the council’s £214.1 million budget.

“The lack of visible policing increases all crimes. When people don’t see officers around, they think their chances of being stopped are slim, so they crack on without fear,” said Mr Olaseinde.

 Steven Ross, communications officer from the South Yorkshire Police, said: “Police intelligence reports relating to gang-related incidents include the keyword ‘organised crime group’ where relevant.

“Strict governance of this is undertaken through organised partnership meetings at both the tactical and strategic levels.”

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