Knife crime incidents hit record level

The number of knife crimes in England and Wales was the highest on record last year, up 7% on the previous 12 months.

Police-recorded offences involving a knife or sharp instrument rose to 45,627 for the year to December, figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Thursday showed.

This was 49% higher than when comparable recording began in 2011 and the highest number on record, according to the data.

The figures do not include Greater Manchester Police, who record data differently.

The number of robberies soared 12% to 83,930, and the number of homicides rose by 2% to 670.

But burglary was down 7% to 366,718, while theft dropped 9% to 3,402,000.