West Midlands saw 30% drop in knife robberies, largest in England/Wales, due to joint policing and government anti-knife measures.

The West Midlands recorded a 30% drop in knife-related robberies from June 2024 to August 2025, the largest decline in England and Wales, with 771 fewer incidents, according to police data. This follows a multi-force taskforce launched in October 2024 involving seven police forces and British Transport Police, which implemented hotspot policing, intelligence-led operations, knife-detecting arches, drones, and plain-clothes officers. The effort reversed a prior 14% year-on-year increase, contributing to a 10% national reduction in knife-enabled robberies across the participating forces. The government attributes the progress to its Plan for Change, including Ronan’s Law, which bans ninja swords and mandates age verification for online knife sales following the 2022 murder of 16-year-old Ronan Kanda. Officials note the first decline in overall knife crime in four years, while emphasizing continued action is needed on online weapon sales and youth programs.