““… Different people blame different causes; gangs, new patterns of drug dealing, school exclusions, the reduction of stop-and-search powers, the influence of social media.

“And there is no certain answer as to how these factors associate with each other….”

https://www.exmouthjournal.co.uk/news/east-devon-mp-knife-crime-epidemic-warning-1-59452

Owl has a pretty good idea why:

AUSTERITY AND ITS ATTENDANT POVERTY

Nothing for poor kids to do (youth facilities and youth workers cut), feeling they don’t matter when their (often working hard) parents are depending on food banks and/or universal credit, hungry at school, seeing the rich getting much richer with no effort, a consumer society that says “growth” (ie spending) is paramount …