Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the knife crime prevention order pilots will include orders on people under 18 years of age; and what criteria will be used to assess the success of those pilots.

We will publish draft guidance on the operation of Knife Crime Prevention Orders (KCPOs) for public consultation shortly.

During the public consultation period we will be specifically engaging with those who have an interest in the operation of KCPOs, including law enforcement, prosecuting authorities, adult and youth services, Youth Offending Teams and other organisations who have previously expressed an interest. The consultation will be open to all to submit a response and will be accessible on the gov.uk website.

Final guidance will need to be in place before the pilot scheme can commence. We will be announcing details of the locations for the pilot in due course. The pilot will include the potential for KCPOs, and interim KCPOs, to be applied for in respect of individuals aged under 18, as set out in the Offensive Weapons Act.