According to this: [https://www.datapandas.org/ranking/stabbing-deaths-by-country](https://www.datapandas.org/ranking/stabbing-deaths-by-country) the UK is ranked #183/187 for mortal stabbings per 100k deaths worldwide. The figure itself is 0.08 mortal stabbings/100k deaths, which is (to 2d.p. at least) the same as the other four countries at the bottom (Ghana, Tunisia, Oman, Monaco). For clarity, Iceland (lowest violent crime rate in the world) is #164. USA is #111. Yet, in England (including in the King’s Speech House of Commons discussion yesterday\[?\]) politicians talk as if there is some ‘knife-crime epidemic’ and it’s ‘on the rise’ (actual quotes). I live in England, and have my entire life. Naturally, I’ve never been stabbed, nor do I know anyone who’s been stabbed.
Is there tons of non-fatal stabbings/slashings that no-one talks about? I don’t understand how a country can have a ‘knife-crime epidemic’ whilst having the fifth lowest fatal stabbing rates globally.
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It’s the availability heuristic at play. Knife crime is disproportionately reported in the media in the UK (paradoxically likely because it’s so rare) so the media over reports when it does happen. The same thing often happens to drug deaths vs alcohol deaths (you won’t see “man dies after drinking too much” on the front page of the news but you would see the same about say an MDMA death).
This has in turn become politicised and pushed further. Politicians saying they’ll clamp down on knife crime etc.
Because everyone is either seething angry or hopelessly depressed and we haven’t got easy access to guns
At least it’s not the ACID ATTACKS from a few years ago. That was insane.
Throwing acid on people for their bikes.
Because we have a high standard for knife crime (well low standard). Also some (*right wing*) politicians in the US lie for their own ends – by using it to justify keeping guns, for example. “Oh, if we don’t have guns people will just use knives, look at the UK!!!”, also fits into their hatred of London as a multicultural hub (see the VPs recent comments on UK being Islamist)
I would guess it’s probably because they have very strict gun laws and it’s hard to acquire one. So they have to revert to the next best thing.
Any time you read something about the UK having an issue with knife crime, just replace “UK” with “London” and it’ll start to make sense.
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