Knife murders in UK drop by a quarter as county lines crackdown has 'best year on record'

New Home Office figures reveal the number of knife murders across the UK has dropped by 27% in two years.

Overall knife crime has been cut by 10% and more than 1,900 knives were removed from the streets in the same time span.

Meanwhile, in the 2025 to 2026 period, 2,833 county lines were closed and 7,381 people were arrested - with the Home Office saying this is the "best year on record" for its county lines programme.

The initiative was created in 2019 to tackle gangs using children and vulnerable people to take drugs from cities into small towns.

Exploitation victim Mark, in his late 30s, had ulcerated legs from drug addiction and faced homelessness when men offered him money to sell drugs on the street.

In a statement collected by The Salvation Army and issued by the Home Office, he said: "At first, I thought they were my friends. I was so desperate, I believed they were helping me by giving me this job.

"They made me work from 8am to 2am the next day, every day. They stopped me getting methadone to come off the drugs or medical help for my legs.

"I was in a really bad way but it was impossible for me to get to hospital. Every day they pushed me deeper and deeper into debt."

Read more:
Sky News joins police on county lines crackdown
A decade of county lines leaves its scars on children

Commander Paul Brogden, national policing lead for county lines and gangs, said the criminals involved in county lines "are violent, exploit vulnerable people, and cause serious harm to communities".

"As county lines gangs' methods continue to evolve, so too does our policing approach, led by the National County Lines Coordination Centre," he added.

Crime and policing minister Sarah Jones said: "We are shutting down more county lines, bringing more gang leaders to justice and taking more deadly weapons off our streets than ever before.

"This government will not let up in its mission to halve knife crime within a decade, break the grip of county lines gangs and make our communities safer."

(c) Sky News 2026: Knife murders in UK drop by a quarter as county lines crackdown has 'best year on record'