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| Knife crime in England and Wales up for first time in four years | Knife crime in England and Wales up for first time in four years |
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| Knife crime in England and Wales has increased for the first time in four years, with the number of knife assaults rising 13%, according to the latest set of police recorded crime figures. | |
| The Office for National Statistics said the 2% rise in all knife crime offences in the 12 months to March marked the end of a downward trend in the previous four years but the total remained more than 50% below its peak six years ago. | |
| The increase to 26,370 offences was announced ahead of a new “two strikes and you’re out” mandatory prison sentence for repeated possession of a knife or blade coming into effect on Friday. More than 1,000 extra offenders are expected to be jailed every year under the measure. | |
| John Flatley, head of crime statistics at the ONS, said the rise in knife crime was real and unlikely to be due to changes in recording practices. He said: “We have seen year-on-year reductions over the last four or five years. This year it has turned slightly. It is a reversal of what we have seen in recent years.” | |
| The quarterly crime figures also show an increase in fraud, particularly online fraud, with online shopping and computer software scams reported to the police rising by 15% over the past year. | The quarterly crime figures also show an increase in fraud, particularly online fraud, with online shopping and computer software scams reported to the police rising by 15% over the past year. |
| Meanwhile, Home Office figures show that the number of police officers has fallen by a further 1,091 over the past year to 126,818. The number of operational frontline officers fell to 113,134 at the end of March, 12,000 fewer than in 2010 as a result of the austerity budget cuts. | |
| The increase in knife crime is one factor fuelling a 3% increase in the police recorded crime figures. The ONS said this rise to 3.8m offences was driven by a 23% increase in offences involving violence against the person, although “this increase is thought to reflect changes in recording practices rather than a rise in violent crime”. | |
| The official statisticians also point to a 7% fall in the figures from the official crime survey of England and Wales, which estimates there were 6.8m incidents – the lowest level since the survey began in 1981. | |
| The ONS said that the 7% fall in the crime survey estimate included a 21% fall in thefts from the person and a 22% drop in thefts of other personal property. | The ONS said that the 7% fall in the crime survey estimate included a 21% fall in thefts from the person and a 22% drop in thefts of other personal property. |
| The ONS also said the overall 2% rise in knife crime recorded by the police masked more significant changes in the detail, with a 13% increase in assaults involving a knife, and a 10% rise in knife possession offences. However, robberies at knifepoint fell by 14%. | The ONS also said the overall 2% rise in knife crime recorded by the police masked more significant changes in the detail, with a 13% increase in assaults involving a knife, and a 10% rise in knife possession offences. However, robberies at knifepoint fell by 14%. |
| The official police recorded crime figures also show an apparently startling 37% increase in sexual offences, including rapes. The number of rapes reported to the police was 29,265 – the highest level since new recording standards were introduced 12 years ago. | |
| But the ONS said the surge was due to a greater willingness of victims to come forward and report such crimes and improvements in police recording rather than an increase in sexual attacks. It said the official crime survey showed no significant change in the proportion of adults who reported being a victim of a sexual assault last year. | |
| The underlying theme of the figures – that England and Wales continues to become a safer country – is underlined by the homicide rate. The police recorded 534 murders in the 12 months to March – only one more than in the previous year – and close to the lowest level since 1978 when 532 people were murdered. | |
| The annual murder rate for England and Wales stood at more than 800 a year in the early years of the 21st century but over the past decade has fallen while the population has continued to grow. Home Office minister Mike Penning said the 7% fall in crime as measured by the official crime survey was “good news for a safer England and Wales”. He said the action taken by the home secretary to improve the quality of police crime recording was already leading to improvements and more victims of sexual offences and domestic abuse were coming forward. He added that while the figures also showed the size of the police workforce had reduced, the rate of decline was slowing and 13 forces had increased their police officer numbers in the last year. The crime charity Victim Support said: “After years of success in driving knife crime down, this rise is a worrying development and efforts to educate people about the dangers of carrying knives must be stepped up.” Irene Curtis, president of the Police Superintendents’ Association, said the figures showed it was clear that policing was going to have to change significantly, with 17,000 fewer officers than five years ago and certain types of crime rising and further budget cuts on the way. |