20 February 2025

Learning from tragedy? The potential benefits, risks and limitations of offensive weapons homicide reviews



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A new duty to review homicides involving offensive weapons is unlikely to achieve its aim of reducing weapons-enabled homicides, whatever else it may accomplish says this Centre for Crime and Justice Studies (CCJS) report.

Offensive Weapons Homicide Reviews (OWHRs) were introduced by the previous Conservative government in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. Their stated purpose is to help national and local agencies understand the causes of serious violence and prevent future weapons-enabled homicides.

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