Knife crime hits record high after 7% increase

Knife crime in England and Wales hit a record high in the year to June, up by 7% on the previous 12 months.

Police-recorded offences involving a knife or sharp instrument rose to 44,076, figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Thursday showed.

This does not include Greater Manchester Police, which records data differently.

But the total number of homicides recorded by police fell by 5%, from 719 to 681.

There was also a 14% fall in homicides where a knife or sharp instrument was involved, to 248 offences, mainly driven by a decrease in London.

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.”