Knife-Control Debate Heats Up in the UK amid London Murder Spike

'Britain will definitely toughen knife laws, yes' The debate over knife control has taken on a new sense of urgency in the United Kingdom after news of London's murder rate spiking to record levels broke last week. In the wake of London's murder rate surpassing that of New York City for the first time, Mayor Sadiq Khan announced new knife-control initiatives in the city. He said London would increase police patrols, grant extra stop and search powers to police on certain patrols, and increase efforts to take people out of gangs by giving them job training. He reiterated the city's position that there is no need for anyone to carry a knife. "No excuses: there is never a reason to carry a knife," Sadiq Khan said on Twitter. "Anyone who does will be caught, and they will feel the full force of the law."