One in ten said they had carried a gun.

According to the survey of more than 350 16- to 24-year-olds, 30 per cent of young people now think it is okay to carry a knife.

Furthermore, 23 per cent said they would actually use one.

More than one third of the young people surveyed by research company Tuned-In said the lack of police was the biggest reason for the increase in gun and knife crime.

This compared to 19 per cent blaming drugs and 14 per cent blaming poverty.
Gang membership was seen as the reason by nine per cent of the young people surveyed. Eight per cent said the reason was people thinking they could get away with it.

Nearly two-thirds of the young people questioned said police weren't doing enough to tackle gun and knife crime.

And 71 per cent said they expected crime levels to rise, rather than fall.

Douglas Dunn, managing director of Tuned-In, said: "Public confidence in the quantity and quality of police on the streets is a major concern."