Fatal stabbings at highest level since middle of last century, figures show
The number of fatal stabbings in England and Wales has hit the highest level since records started more than 70 years ago, an official report has revealed.
There were 285 homicides where the method of killing was by a knife or sharp instrument in the year to March 2018.
This was an increase of of 73 compared with 2016/17, and the highest number since the Home Office’s Homicide Index began in 1946, the Office for National Statistics said.
Today we’ve published insight into the nature of violent crime in England and Wales based on new breakdowns from the Crime Survey and police recorded crime data for the year ending March 2018 https://t.co/J3N0LDAIUp
— ONS (@ONS) February 7, 2019
The previous high was in the year ending March 2008, when there were 268 victims killed by a knife or a sharp instrument.
