Exclusive:'Don't let go of your future': Warning as Leeds children as young as 12 arrested for carrying bladed weapons

Children in Leeds have been given a stark warning not to ruin their futures by carrying a knife - as figures show children as young as 12 are being arrested for possessing bladed weapons.

New data, obtained by the Yorkshire Evening Post through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, has revealed the number of young people arrested for carrying knives and sharp weapons over the last three years.

A 12-year-old suspect was arrested for possession of a knife, blade or sharply pointed article by Leeds District Police in 2023, 2024 and 2025, while the youngest person arrested so far in 2026 was just 13, according to the latest figures.

The shocking new statistics come just days after the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime in West Yorkshire Alison Lowe urged youngsters to think before carrying a knife, ahead of the launch of a new initiative aimed at reducing knife crime in West Yorkshire.

“No matter how you are feeling today, no matter how worried you are today, there is always a tomorrow if you let it be,” Deputy Mayor Lowe urged. “If you make the wrong choice today, then you might not have that tomorrow.

“Opportunity is there, joy is there - children, grandchildren, success - it’s all waiting for you. Please, please don’t let go of your future by thinking that carrying a knife is the right thing to do.”

The data revealed that, between January 2023 and the start of April 2026, 335 young men, aged 13-21, were arrested for possession of an article with a blade or point, while 24 young women were arrested during the same time period.

Last week, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and its Violence Reduction Partnership launched a new ‘Keep the Door Open’ campaign, which focuses on the long-term consequences of carrying a knife and delivers an empowering message to young people that their future is in their own hands.

The campaign will seek to bring together the police, local councils, community organisations and other partners to tackle the root causes of violence, not just respond to it after the fact.

While the numbers are trending down, with 120 young people arrested in 2023 compared to 94 in 2025, Deputy Mayor Lowe is determined to see these figures drop even further.

“If you are worried about anything then you must talk to a trusted adult, because there is a solution that maybe you can’t see at this minute. If you grasp that solution, and ask for help, then the door will open for you and great things will come,” she said.

“If you do not take that help and think you can sort it all out yourself - nobody is an island. We can’t sort things out for ourselves, we all need help - then you might be closing that door forever.”

Between 2023 and 2026, 13 youngsters, aged 13-21, were arrested on suspicion of murder or attempted murder involving a knife or sharp instrument, while a further 12 were arrested under the wider umbrella term of homicide.

Last week, officers from West Yorkshire Police’s Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT ) were deployed across West Yorkshire as part of this spring’s national Sceptre initiative to reduce and raise awareness of knife crime.

That included visits to schools and educational establishments to warn children about the dangers of carrying knives, and spot checks on shops to ensure retailers were complying with legislation regarding the sale of knives.

Police also recently launched their Pol-Ed initiative. Developed by educational professionals, Pol-Ed aims to reduce knife crime by helping schools teach children from the earliest years how to stay safe, resolve conflict, and make positive choices.

Superintendent James Kitchen said: “Education continues to form a crucial part of our work to reduce knife offending, and officers have again been active in schools, colleges and with third sector partners to engage with young people.

“It is this work and support from communities which will be key in the long term from deterring young people from ever wanting to carry weapons of the sort officers recovered in this week of action.”

The Violence Reduction Partnership and its partners across West Yorkshire have supported more than 16,000 young people under 25 and almost 1,000 adults since April 2025, and the region has seen a reduction of 11.3 per cent in record knife crime over the last year.

Leeds has been rocked by some high profile deaths among young people in recent years, including the murder of 15-year-old Alfie Lewis outside a school in Horsforth in November 2023 and the death of 16-year-old Chloe Watson Dransfield, who was killed by a stab wound to the chest in March this year.

Alfie Milburn, who was found guilty of the manslaughter of 19-year-old Harry Abbott following a gang revenge attack in Seacroft last year, was sentenced to 14 years in custody at Leeds Crown Court on Monday (June 1).