Schoolboys as young as 10 have been found carrying knives on the streets of the West Midlands, shocking new data obtained by BirminghamLive has revealed. It is yet more evidence of the knife crime epidemic among young people, and shows the young ages of children willing to carry blades on our streets.
Dozens of Young Kids Arrested
Dozens of young kids aged under 12 have been arrested on suspicion of carrying blades in the West Midlands since the start of last year. This included a handful of 10-year-olds. Ten is the age of criminal responsibility in the UK, when children can be convicted of crimes. This is generally understood to mean kids know what they are doing is wrong and against the law once they reach this age.
Figures obtained from West Midlands Police showed four 10-year-olds were taken into custody on suspicion of possessing blades since the start of last year. There were 17 others, aged 11 and 14, and 12 kids detained and quizzed by officers. It is likely not all of these children were charged with crimes, possibly because of evidentiary difficulties in some cases.
Countless Stabbings in Region
There have been countless stabbings over recent years in Birmingham and the wider region involving schoolboys and teenagers. Youth workers say schoolboys are not afraid to carry knives amid concerns over the impact of social media on young kids, though West Midlands Police stresses violent crime is falling.
In 2024, two 12-year-old boys became some of the youngest in the UK to be convicted of murder after brutally slaying Shawn Seesahai in a Wolverhampton park. Birmingham was also rocked by the brutal killing of 12-year-old Leo Ross by Kian Moulton, 14, as he walked home from school in Trittiford Mill Park, Yardley Wood.
Youth Mentor Speaks Out
Reformed criminal Gary Williams, a former Birmingham gang member who spent time in prison before turning his life around to become a youth mentor, previously told BirminghamLive: "So many young people are carrying knives, and they are taking pictures of them on social media. So it is creating a forcefield of paranoia. The number of people carrying knives and not getting locked up, a young person is thinking 'I might as well carry a knife then'. The deterrent of carrying a knife is not strong enough."
"People are paranoid of being caught without them - they are not fearful of being caught with them," he added.
