Fewer offenders jailed for knife crime in Bedfordshire

There were fewer sentences handed out for knife and offensive weapons crime in Bedfordshire last year, new figures show.

Anti-knife crime charity the Ben Kinsella Trust said further investment in the court system is needed to help it keep up with rising knife crime across the England and Wales.

Ministry of Justice figures show 49 offenders in Bedfordshire were given an immediate sentence in the year to September – accounting for 30% of knife crime offenders who went through the criminal justice system.

This was down on the proportion of offenders handed an immediate sentence in 2020-21 (36%), and below the proportion two years prior (39%).

Overall, about 11% of the 161 offenders in Bedfordshire who went through the criminal justice system were cautioned, 17% were given community sentences and 27% were suspended sentences.

Patrick Green, Ben Kinsella Trust chief executive, said the figures show a difference between recorded knife crime and the number of offences that finally make it into court.

"They also show that there is now a higher likelihood that a knife crime offender will be served with a suspended sentence rather than go to jail for their crime," he added.

He said sanctions imposed by the courts are failing to change the behaviour of habitual offenders, and the courts system needs more investment to keep pace with increasing knife crime figures.

He said: "But we cannot rely solely on the criminal justice system to resolve this issue on its own. We must widen our focus to stop knife crime at source by investing more in our young people."

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “More criminals caught carrying a knife are being sent to jail for longer than they were a decade ago thanks to the decisive action of this Government.

"Our recent changes to sentencing mean repeat knife offenders are now more likely to face jail and the extra 20,000 police officers we are recruiting will help bring more criminals to justice.”

The data shows 68% of offenders in Bedfordshire last year had no previous convictions or cautions, 21% had one, 7% had two and 4% had three or more.