Renowned British actor and Disc Jockey, Edris Elba, has premiered a brand new documentary titled ‘ldris Elba: Our Knife Crime Crisis.’
The documentary which first aired on British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), on Jan 29, 2025, immensely delves into the rampant knife and gang-related crimes in the United Kingdom. The investigative-style footage which took 12 months to film, shows a concerned Elba leading a team to undercover the rationale behind the crimes, victims of knife injuries, teenage offenders, police, and suppliers of kitchen knives.
The 52-year-old actor called for a massive ban on kitchen and zombie knives and also suggested that the pointy-edge of knives should be made blunt, to make them less dangerous.
“Not all kitchen knives need to have a point on them, that sounds like a crazy thing to say,” he adds, “but you can still cut your food without the point on your knife, which is an innovative way to look at it,” he said.
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Throughout the film, Idris Elba interviews young individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds who reveal that they carry knives as a means of self-protection. One teenager shared his experience of carrying a knife after being bullied, admitting that it made him feel invincible. Another young person confesses that carrying a knife makes him feel like “a god and a bad man when push comes to shove.”
He also had discussions with political leaders like Sir Keir Starmer, who acknowledged the need for drastic change.
“We need to intervene or it’s going to get worse,” Starmer said.
England and Wales witnessed an alarming surge in knife crimes in 2024, with reported incidents exceeding 50,000 for the second time ever, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). In London, knife crimes skyrocketed to a record high of 15,859, marking a 16% increase from the previous year (2023).