MPs launch probe into knife culture

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The Commons home affairs select committee will examine why youths carry knives, the extent of the problem and the profile of typical offenders.

It will also assess the effectiveness of measures to combat the problem, including legislation, amnesties, community projects and policing.

Announcing the investigation today, committee chairman Keith Vaz said the inquiry was a response to growing public concern about knife crime and the rising death toll from stabbings in London.

"The public is rightly very concerned about levels of knife crime and people no longer feel safe on our streets," he said.

"The shockingly high number of teenage knife murders in London this year alone demonstrates the seriousness of the problem and the need for urgent action by the Government.

The committee wants to investigate the reasons why individuals carry and use knives andwhat can be done to prevent knife crime and ensure that those convicted of knife crime are appropriately punished."

Any organisation or person who wants to contribute to the investigation can send written submissions to the committee. Oral hearings at which selected witnesses will appear will begin in the autumn.

The committee's conclusions are likely to be published at the end of the year.