“We cannot arrest our way out of knife crime,” said Chief Superintendent David Meeney as Greater Manchester Police stepped up work in the city centre. New Home Office figures show knife‑point robberies fell 15% across the seven hotspot forces in the 12 months to October 2025, reversing a 14% rise to June 2024. Greater Manchester recorded a 6% fall over the same period.

Ministers pulled together the Knife‑Enabled Robbery taskforce in October last year, bringing the Met, GMP, West Midlands, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Avon and Somerset and British Transport Police around one table after a clear spike. Tactics credited for early gains include drones, knife arches, detection dogs and plain‑clothes patrols focused on the worst‑hit streets.

Alongside the robbery figures, the County Lines Programme reports more than 8,000 arrests, over 3,000 lines shut and upwards of 900 knives removed from circulation, with over 4,000 exploited children and vulnerable people connected to support. An updated evaluation finds hospital admissions for stabbings in exporter areas are around 25% lower than before the programme.

Closer to home, ‘HEX’ hyperlocal zones are being tested to focus resources the size of a few streets. GMP’s pilot centres on Manchester city centre, City Hall says pilots now cover 50 of the top 100 hotspots, and Birmingham has funded a £250,000 scheme targeting five priority HEX areas.

West Yorkshire’s new Young Futures Panels are now up and running in Leeds, Bradford, Kirklees and Wakefield. “We cannot afford to wait for those at risk to come forward, we have to act,” said Deputy Mayor Alison Lowe OBE, as partners move earlier to divert children away from exploitation.

The Home Office says more than 50 Young Futures Panel pilots are live across England and Wales, while early‑adopter Young Futures Hubs will come to Manchester and Leeds as part of a longer‑term programme funded to 2029.

Weapons surrender schemes continue to clear dangerous blades. Police chiefs point to nearly 60,000 knives taken out of communities through recent national schemes, with new surrender bins funded across London, the West Midlands and Greater Manchester. Ninja swords were also outlawed from 1 August 2025.

Rules on sales have tightened too. Under measures known as Ronan’s Law, retailers must carry out two‑step photo‑ID checks at purchase and delivery, doorstep drops are banned, and suspicious or bulk knife orders should be reported to police. Penalties for selling to under‑18s rise to a maximum two years.

A fresh consultation launched on 16 December proposes licensing for knife sellers and importers. Ministers want views by 24 February 2026; Northerners who trade in tools and outdoor kit will want to read the small print and have their say. “If you want to sell knives, you should be visible, traceable and accountable,” said campaigner Pooja Kanda.

There’s more to do and the data will keep coming. The Home Office’s own evaluation notes some police‑recorded violence can rise when enforcement intensifies, even as hospital admissions fall; official ONS knife‑crime tables for the year to September 2025 land on 29 January 2026. For now, the direction in the North is finally heading the right way, driven by local partnerships and targeted work.