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| Knife crime 'fallen 7%' this year | Knife crime 'fallen 7%' this year |
| (9 minutes later) | |
| The number of knife crimes fell 7% in the first three months of 2009, according to the latest figures. | The number of knife crimes fell 7% in the first three months of 2009, according to the latest figures. |
| The Ministry of Justice also said proportionately more offenders in England and Wales were going to jail - and for longer - than before. | The Ministry of Justice also said proportionately more offenders in England and Wales were going to jail - and for longer - than before. |
| There was also a 70% rise in suspended sentences for knife crimes and more offenders given community sentences. | |
| The changes come after senior judges and the prime minister called for longer sentences for knife offences. | |
| The quarterly figures compare the months from January to March 2009 with the same period last year. | |
| The statistics show police and the courts dealt with 1,359 offences among juvenile offenders between January and March, compared with nearly 1,600 the previous year. | |
| The 15% drop among young offenders was greater than among other parts of the population. | |
| Sentences rise | |
| Last year the Court of Appeal told magistrates to deliver longer sentences for knife crimes. | |
| Prime Minister Gordon Brown later said there should be a presumption of prison or "strong community payback". | |
| According to the figures, about a quarter of all cases ended in a caution in the first three months of the year - down from just over a third of offences in 2008. | |
| Meanwhile 20% of all possession offences resulted in a prison sentence, up from 17% over the same period last year, | |
| Following the Court of Appeal ruling the length of sentences has also increased, as expected. | |
| Between January and March this year 383 sentences were for more than six months - more than double the 169 sentences handed out in the same period of 2008. | |
| The government made knife crime a priority in June last year, launching its "Tackling Knives Action Programme" (TKAP) to crack down on offending in key areas. The accuracy of some of the initial figures linked to TKAP areas has faced criticism. | |
| The latest figures show the sentencing changes are happening in roughly the same way across all of England and Wales, rather than just in the 10 urban areas targeted under TKAP. |