A Royal Marine who has prepared food for armed forces across the world has backed Æß²ÊÖ±²¥ Leicester (Æß²ÊÖ±²¥) research which shows the safety of rounded-tip knives.
As National Knife Crime Awareness Week begins across the country, Colour Sergeant Mike Beaton MBE said there was “nothing a rounded-tip couldn’t do in the kitchen” when compared to a conventional pointed blade.
The Commando, who also helps educate young people across the country, said: “When it comes to cutting and slicing, a rounded-tip knife is just as good but so much safer.
“People say you can’t pierce film or plastic without the point but you can do it easily with the blade.
“There’s nothing a rounded end blade can’t do in the kitchen, simple as that.”
CSGT Beaton said he admired the work done by Æß²ÊÖ±²¥’s forensic science lecturer Leisa Nichols-Drew – a comprehensive study of the safety of round-tip knives against pointed blades.
The research tested 1,200 repeated stabbing motions on everyday clothing such as cotton t-shirts and denim jeans found that 10 different round-ended knives did not cut through the fabric at all, compared to two sharp-pointed knives that did.
The preliminary findings support her previous work published in 2020 which was the first to look at the connection between the shape of the tip of a blade and clothing damage.
Leisa’s work has been widely reported and instrumental in informing Kent Police as part of a new knife exchange programme.
The force’s Safer Knife Replacement Scheme (SKRS) gives police and partner agencies the ability to offer eligible families a pack of 4 or a single 5” rounded kitchen knife, alongside safety advice and guidance in exchange for replacing all the pointed knives within their property.
Knife crime figures show that in the 12 months leading to March 2024, there were 262 murders involving a knife or sharp instrument in England and Wales.
A total of 109 of these involved kitchen knives with pointed tips – by far the most frequently used weapon.
Leisa, who works with violence reduction units across the country and is a member of the national knife crime working group, is calling for wider adoption and manufacturing of rounded-tip knives.
She said: “There are these safer alternative knives out there, and our ultimate goal is to reduce injuries, minimise harm and save lives.”
Posted on Monday 19 May 2025