Policy background Serious Violence Reduction Orders
Recorded knife crime has risen over a period of years. Police recorded offences in England and Wales involving knives and sharp instruments totaled 46,265 in the year ending March 2020, up from 43,706 offences in the year ending March 2019.
	There are a number of existing powers to enable the police to tackle knife crime.
	Section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 allows an officer to search someone if they have reasonable grounds to suspect that they are carrying a knife to commit an offence or carrying an offensive weapon. Section 60 of the 1994 Act allows a constable, on the authorisation of an officer of the rank of inspector or above, where serious violence is anticipated, to search anybody, without suspicion, to see if they are carrying an offensive weapon or dangerous implement. The section 60 powers are strictly limited and can be used only in a specific area and for a short time period.
	The Offensive Weapons Act 2019 introduced Knife Crime Prevention Orders, which apply to adults and children aged 12 or over, and will allow a court to impose specific requirements or restrictions for example prohibiting a person from being in a certain place, associating with particular people or undertaking certain activities.
	A number of offenders who carry knives and weapons go on to offend repeatedly. The proportion of offenders for whom a knife related conviction was their first knife or offensive weapon offence has been decreasing and was at 71% for the year ending September 2019,  its lowest level since 2009.
	The Government, in their 2019 manifesto, pledged to make it "easier for officers to stop and search those convicted of knife crime." A public consultation ran from 14 September to 8 November 2020 seeking views on a new order, the Serious Violence Reduction Order ("SVRO"), which would work in conjunction with current stop and search provisions and target individuals who have been convicted of a relevant knife-related offence. The consultation received 549 responses. Of those responding, 77.8% agreed that a new order should be created.
	The Government published its response to this consultation on 9 March 2021. The response set out proposals for a new order that the courts can make in respect of a person convicted of a knife or offensive weapon related offence. The Government’s response also set out that these orders would initially be subject to a pilot in a small number of police forces to build an understanding of the effectiveness of the new orders. Chapter 1 of Part 10 provides for SVROs.