Recent statistics show a rise in knife crime offences in England and Wales, highlighting ongoing concerns and trends in public safety
London: Knife crime offences in England and Wales have been on the rise lately. But don’t worry too much; they’re still below the levels we saw before the pandemic hit.
So, what’s the scoop? In the year leading up to June 2024, police recorded about 50,973 knife-related offences. That’s a 4% increase from the previous year, but still 2% lower than the 51,982 offences back in March 2020.
It’s worth noting that these numbers don’t include Greater Manchester Police due to some data processing issues. But let’s dive into the details.
Robberies involving knives have seen a significant jump, going from 19,607 to 21,759 in just a year. That’s an 11% increase! However, it’s still lower than the 22,727 recorded in 2019/20.
When it comes to knife-related homicides, there were 225 in the year to June 2024, which is actually a 5% drop from the previous year. That’s a bit of good news, right?
On the flip side, threats to kill with a knife have also decreased, down 6% from 5,736 to 5,413. But both of these numbers are still higher than what we saw before the pandemic.
Now, let’s talk about possession. There were 27,553 offences for having a knife or sharp object, which is down 4% from last year. Still, it’s 18% higher than the pre-pandemic year of 2019/20.
Breaking it down by police force, the Metropolitan Police recorded the most offences, with 31% of the total. West Midlands and West Yorkshire Police followed behind. The Metropolitan Police had the highest rate per 100,000 people, but not by much.
Interestingly, 19 out of 42 police forces saw an increase in knife crime offences over the past year. Some areas, like Avon & Somerset, saw huge jumps, while Suffolk had the biggest drop.
