West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Foster has revealed knife crime in the West Midlands has dropped by a quarter in the last two years.
The latest performance data, which was presented at the Commissioner’s Accountability and Governance Board today, shows recorded knife crime offences have fallen by 25.1%, from 5,268 offences at the start of the Police and Crime Plan period to 3,946 in the year ending March 2026.
The PCC has hailed the drop as a “significant” moment in the aim to prevent and tackle knife crime.
West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster said: “These figures represent significant progress in our aim to prevent and tackle knife crime and serious youth violence. Every violent offence prevented, every knife removed from our streets and every young person diverted away from crime helps make our communities safer.”
At the same time, proactive policing activity has continued to increase, with the number of weapons recovered through stop and search rising significantly. During the year ending March 2026, West Midlands Police recorded 1,035 stop and searches that resulted in the recovery of a knife, representing a 16.4% increase compared to the baseline year.
The figures also show serious youth violence continues to decline across the West Midlands. In the year ending March 2026, offences fell by 14.9%, reflecting the impact of ongoing partnership work to prevent young people from becoming involved in violence and exploitation.
The Commissioner said: “A 25.1% reduction in knife crime is a significant achievement and demonstrates the impact of investment, partnership working and proactive policing that we have prioritised through my Police and Crime Plan. The increase in weapons recovered through stop and search shows that officers are continuing to take dangerous knives off our streets and prevent potential harm.”
He added: “I also welcome the continued reduction in serious youth violence. Protecting young people from violence, exploitation and criminality is one of my top priorities, and these results show that our collective efforts are making a positive difference.”
However, the PCC emphasises that while the figures are encouraging there is no place whatsoever for any complacency. There still remains constant and unremitting work to be done.
He added: “One knife crime offence is one too many. I will continue to work closely with West Midlands Police, our Violence Reduction Partnership, local authorities, schools, community organisations and partners to drive down violence even further and ensure that everyone feels safe and secure in their community.”
The Commissioner also praised the work of his Violence Reduction Partnership, which carries out vital intervention work in the region.
The Commissioner said preventing and tackling violence, supporting victims and bringing offenders to justice will remain central priorities as work continues relentlessly and at pace to build on the progress achieved so far.
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