And if you reduce opportunities for murder, rates will fall. The clearest explanation of this is the difference in murder rates between the US and UK. Rates for knife murders and other methods are comparable; but because the US has more guns, it gets more murders 4/5

A 2005 panel of chefs found little functional need for pointed end blades. Furthermore, a new paper by two leading criminologists suggest that phasing out pointed-end knives for round-tipped ones could reduce knife deaths by *half* More in my column www.thetimes.com/article/7c54... 5/5

NEW: What is the most common murder weapon? It isn’t the gun, the machete or the zombie knife - but the kitchen knife. Here’s why phasing out sharp-tipped knives isn’t as mad as it sounds. 1/5 @thetimes.com Free to read 🔗 www.thetimes.com/article/7c54...

How far can knife crime be treated as a problem of supply? My latest story is on a peculiarly British problem and what is and isn't in the government's strategy for curbing it. (Also tested the much-trailed round-tipped knives: they are surprisingly good) www.economist.com/britain/2025...

NEW blog from our Research Director Andy Higgins 'Should retailers adapt to prevent shoplifting?' He argues that large retailers shouldn't just expect the police to deal with shoplifting. There's plenty that can be done to prevent it too. www.police-foundation.org.uk/2025/02/shou...

Our Prof @grahamfarrell.bsky.social quoted in this @thetimes.com article about the £100 contactless limit. 💳 Read more 👇 tinyurl.com/3b7jum2j #AcademicSky #LawSky #CrimSky #Criminology

Our Prof @grahamfarrell.bsky.social has published a major study about the decline in car theft in the US. 🚗🔒 Read more below! 👇 #AcademicSky #LawSky #CrimSky #HigherEd #Criminology essl.leeds.ac.uk/law/news/art...

'The UK’s most senior police officer has accused tech giants including Apple and Google of “enabling” a phone theft epidemic that gangsters have turned into a “global criminal business”.' www.thetimes.com/article/2f50...

One of those brilliant suggestions you read and think to yourself, 'Why on earth haven't I thought of or read about this idea before? It's so damned obvious!'

This just published with @toby-davies.bsky.social . Says pointed kitchen knives not zombie knives are murder weapon of choice and we should phase them out like we’re phasing-out fossil-fuelled vehicles. rdcu.be/d4e9h