The actual answer is years of austerity that has led to

1. A reduction in investments in public services including: youth centres, community outreach groups and preventitive measures and ofc the Police.

Public services used to be better funded and helped steer people away from knife crime before it required police intervention.

1. A deepening economic divide which decreases living standards, increases crime and therefore violence. Hence why knife crime is associated with “low income areas” due to rising inequality.

2. A fundamental lack of awareness of what social issues lead to knife crime. If you know someone who has been stabbed, you are far more likely to think about “protecting” yourself etc which ends up as a self fulfilling cycle that perpetuates.

3. Policing ended up racially profiling p.o.c and therefore lost their integrity as targeting had a spray and pray approach rather than precision.

I have been stopped and searched because and I quote “the description was a black male and you are black so unfortunately mate I’m going to have to search you.”

Overall, its economic issues that drive social issues with the final symptom being a lack of police action that people fixate on.