Figures released by the Office for National Statistics today have reported that show police recorded 45,627 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument. The number of recorded knife crimes in England and Wales increased by 7 per cent to its highest ever level in 2019. A third of all offences were recorded in London.
This number equals 125 knife crimes per day between January and December 2019. These crime rates are 49 per cent higher than when comparable recording began in 2011. However, the true number of knife crimes in England and Wales is likely to be higher as the figures do not include Greater Manchester Police.
London could be considered the knife capital of the UK with 15,492 police-recorded knife offences. The figures also show a 15 per cent rise in homicides recorded by the Metropolitan Police in the last year which is up to 146 from 127. West Midlands police recorded 5,200 knife crimes, which was an 11.6 per cent rise from the year before.
Joe Traynor from the ONS has said: “Knife or sharp instrument offences continue to be concentrated in metropolitan areas across England and Wales, with around a third (34per cent) of all offences recorded by the police in London”. The rise in police-recorded knife-related offences 2011 has occurred against the backdrop of charging rates declining since 2014-15, according to Home Office data.
Responding to today’s figures the Home Secretary Priti Patel has said she will “continue to give the police the stop and search powers, funding and extra officers they need to keep our families, communities and country safe”.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council has claimed that tactics such as stop, and search has led to an increase in the recording of knife and blade possessions. However, Diana Fawcett of the charity Victim Support has said “We are concerned that reports of knife crime and homicide have risen. Although the streets are quieter, the impact of knife crime is still being felt”.
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Current Affairs Correspondent | My name is Oliver Down I am 22, and a staunch brexiteer. I am a Bristolian lad who studied politics in Leicester. I believe in free speech and accurate journalism and I won’t be afraid to give you “the other side” of the story!
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