TEHRAN (Iran News) – England and Wales suffered their worst year for knife crime since records began, with the number of offenses involving such sharp instruments soaring by seven percent in the year ending in December, according to official figures.
The number of offenses involving knives and sharp instruments rocketed by 7 percent to 45,600 in the year.
But the true figure is likely to be significantly higher because the Office for National Statistics (ONS) did not include Greater Manchester Police’s total due to IT issues, the Independent reported.
In London, the number of fatal stabbings rose by 13 percent in the year, although the figure fell by 8 percent nationally.
The areas with the highest rate were London, West Yorkshire, and the West Midlands.
But while London saw a 5 percent rise, offenses in the West Midlands rocketed by 13 percent and West Yorkshire fell by 9 percent.
The offenses included in the figures were homicide, attempted murder, threats to kill, assault with injury, assault with intent to cause serious harm, robbery, rape, and sexual assault.
The ONS said an increase in robbery – which accounted for 44 percent of knife offenses – contributed to the historic rise, while the assault was the largest category.
The number of bladed article possession offenses rose by 11 percent in the year, which the report said was influenced by increased police stop and search operations.
In 2019, police recorded 5.8 million crimes in England and Wales in total.
The figures showed a 2 percent increase in the number of homicides, although the figure includes the 39 Vietnamese people who were found dead in a lorry in Essex.
In January, three men, believed to be from the Sikh community, were stabbed to death in Ilford, east London, prompting calls for a change of mayor, amid claims that the incumbent Sadiq Khan has, in the words of one rival mayoral candidate, “lost control of our streets.”
- source : Tasnim, Irannews
