Idris Elba on stabbing crisis: 'Not all kitchen knives need a point on them'

Idris Elba, the well-known actor, recently shared his views on the pressing issue of knife crime in the UK during an interview on BBC Radio 4's Today programme. He expressed that kitchen knives could be designed without sharp points, which he believes could help reduce the number of knife-related injuries. Elba has dedicated the past year to creating a documentary for the BBC that explores solutions to knife crime. Throughout this journey, he has met with families who have suffered losses due to knife violence, police officers who deal with these incidents daily, and young offenders who have made poor choices. He emphasized the importance of early intervention in schools to prevent children from getting involved in knife crime. 'Banning the sale of zombie knives is a positive step,' he stated, 'but we need to do more to address the root causes of this crisis. ' Elba also suggested that ninja swords should be banned and proposed that kitchen knives could be made safer. 'Not all kitchen knives need to have a point on them,' he remarked. 'You can still cut your food without a point on your knife, which is an innovative way to look at it. ' This perspective may seem unusual, but Elba believes it could be a practical approach to enhancing safety. According to recent statistics, 507 children were treated in English hospitals for knife injuries in the year leading up to April 2024. As a father of three, Elba shared that this issue is always on his mind. In his documentary, titled Idris Elba: Our Knife Crime Crisis, he meets a 17-year-old boy at a young offender institution who began carrying a knife at the age of 13. This young man grew up in a violent household and faced bullying at school. He confided in Elba that he felt compelled to carry a knife to protect himself. 'When I had a knife, I felt like I could do anything, like I was a god – nobody could touch me,' he explained. However, he also acknowledged that carrying a knife made him the 'bad man' in the situation. He ended up stabbing someone and was serving a sentence for grievous bodily harm when Elba met him. The Youth Endowment Fund, a charity that aims to prevent children from becoming involved in violence, reports that knife crime remains a significant issue for young people. Elba believes that while the recent measures taken are a step in the right direction, the country is still facing a crisis. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer recently commented on the sentencing of a teenager who murdered three young girls, highlighting the need for urgent action. Elba stressed that more attention should be given to children in their pre-teen and early teen years. He pointed out that disciplinary actions, such as school exclusions, should be viewed as opportunities to intervene in a young person's life. 'When a young child is excluded, they're more likely to go towards a dark place,' he said. However, he also noted, 'There are indicators of hope. There are intervention schemes that are really working and that no one really knows about. ' One of the young people benefiting from such a scheme is Jayden, a 16-year-old who started carrying a knife at the age of 12 after being attacked by a group of boys in a park. He recounted how one of the boys swung an axe at him, which left him feeling scared and in need of protection. Jayden was eventually referred to the Community Initiative to Reduce Violence (Cirv), a program run by West Midlands Police. This initiative identifies teenagers who may be at risk of committing or becoming victims of knife crime and intervenes before a stabbing occurs. The program also helps young people find educational and career opportunities tailored to their needs. Jayden was referred to Cirv due to concerns about his involvement in gang activities and his history of carrying a knife. He had faced multiple school exclusions and had been kicked out of his family home. During his conversation with Elba, Jayden shared that he had no confidence in himself and felt scared before joining the Cirv scheme. He was diagnosed with autism and ADHD, but through Cirv, he joined a football academy and now aspires to become a coach. Although he has stopped carrying a knife, he acknowledged that the dangers still exist. 'It is still quite normal where I'm from to see someone carrying a blade on them,' he said. 'I nearly got two pulled out on me this week. ' Jayden expressed gratitude to PC Laura Cuthbertson, who has mentored him as part of the Cirv program, but he is concerned because the funding for the initiative will run out in six months. According to the Ministry of Justice, young people aged 10 to 17 have the highest rates of reoffending. The Cirv program costs £1,500 per child each year, and Elba is advocating for increased funding for initiatives like this that intervene in a child's life before they commit a crime. 'There needs to be a very radical look at where we spend our money,' he said. 'How we spend our money, what are the effective solutions versus the ones that we're wasting a lot of money on that aren't effective. ' Jayden told Elba that since joining Cirv, he values life much more. 'There's some beauty in the world for me that wasn't there before,' he said. Diana Johnson, the minister for policing, fire, and crime prevention, stated that the government has already banned zombie knives and is making progress toward banning ninja swords. 'In the longer term, we need to ensure that the right prevention systems are in place to stop crime in its tracks,' she said.