Knife crime offences in England and Wales reach all-time high

17 October 2019, 10:18

Knife crime offences recorded by police in England and Wales have reached an all-time high.

The Office for National Statistics said knife crime offences recorded by police in England and Wales in the year ending June 2019 hit their highest levels in the previous 12 months.

Police recorded more 44,076 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument over the course of the year - seven per cent higher than the previous 12 months.

The figure includes stabbings, robberies, murder, threats to kill and rape.

However, the total number of homicides recorded by the police fell by five per cent in the last year, from 719 to 681.

There has also been a 14 per cent decrease in homicides where a knife was involved to 248 incidents, mainly driven by a drop in such incidents in London, the ONS said.

Joe Traynor, from the ONS Centre for Crime and Justice, said: "While overall levels of violence have remained steady, the number of offences involving a knife has continued to increase across England and Wales.

"However, the number of homicides where a knife or sharp instrument was involved decreased, driven by falls in London.

"There is a mixed picture in the total number of knife crime offences across police forces with the Metropolitan Police recording little change in the last year."

These figures exclude Greater Manchester Police as the force's data is not comparable due to reporting issues.