Reframing Knife Crime Among Children in the UK—from a Securitization Approach to a Human Security Approach

This article examines the growing security dilemma in the context of youth knife crime and serious violence in the United Kingdom. The article argues that knife crime is currently seen through a securitization lens, which often means that children who are involved in knife crime and weapons-enabled offending are framed as threats to societal order, reinforcing punitive responses that may exacerbate marginalisation and violence. The article explores whether a human security approach can provide a more effective response to the issue of knife crime and what this might entail in practice. Through a synthesis of academic literature and policy analysis, this article argues that the current framing of knife crime as a security issue rooted in individual responsibility overlooks the structural factors that may contribute to youth violence, such as poverty, school exclusion, and systemic racism. A human security approach is proposed as a more holistic alternative. The article concludes that meaningful change will require policy transformation, investment in communities, and a public shift in how perpetrators are viewed.