Sadiq Khan to lobby Home Secretary over knife arches in youth justice buildings

Speaking to CYP Now, he said: “What we’re seeing is, people who have been involved with the criminal justice system, that may be involved in criminal gangs, they may, as a matter of routine and practice, carry a knife and nobody's checking when they're going into these places.

“They have got to be safe for young people and there should be weapon detection devices in place.”

• FoI probe reveals reluctance of YOTs to use weapons detectors

• The price of tighter security

• Youth offending service policies

Khan vowed to lobby both Home Secretary Jeremy Hunt and youth justice minister Rob Butler for the installation of weapons detection systems, including knife arches and body-scanning wands, in youth justice buildings across London.

“What the government needs to do is to make these places safe," said Khan.

“Weapon detection devices aren’t that expensive and how do you quantify the cost of a life? Making these places safe is possible, whether that’s through wands or arches.”

The pledge follows the murder of Hakim Sillah, aged 18, who was stabbed to death by another attendee at a knife awareness course run by Hillingdon youth justice service in 2019.

Following his death, Hakim’s mother Saranba Sillah, who met with Khan in March, has called for all buildings used by youth justice services (YJS) to install detection systems. 

However, a CYP Now investigation found that three years on from Hakim’s death, just under a third of councils are using such systems.

Based on the results of the investigation and his meeting with Saranba, Khan previously wrote to former Justice Secretary Dominic Raab, urging him to “support the implementation of weapon detection systems across Ministry of Justice and YJS sites in London, especially in areas where knife crime is recognised as a significant problem”.

He also noted concerns from youth justice professionals that the installation of detection systems could “damage the trusting relationships youth justice service staff have with the young people they work with”.

This led Khan to suggest that the Youth Justice Board should provide “central training and support for councils” using best practice examples from councils which have already “successfully installed” detection systems in some London boroughs.

The Home Office, Ministry of Justice, and Youth Justice Board have been contacted for comment.