Met police firearms

[Fedster + 1,307]

There were 709 homicides in the period.

Fatal stabbings in England and Wales are at the highest level since the start of this decade, official figures show.

There were 215 homicides perpetrated using a knife or other sharp instrument in the year to March 2017.

The figure was similar to 2015/16, when there were 212, but it is the highest number of such killings since 2010/11, when there were 236.

Detailed analysis of homicides - which include murder, manslaughter and infanticide - showed the most common method of killing was by knife or other sharp instrument.

The 215 victims killed in this way accounted for 30 per cent of the total 709 homicides in the year.

The findings - set out in a report from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) - come at a time of mounting concern about a surge in knife violence.

Alarm over the trend has focused in particular on London after a flurry of fatal stabbings in the capital.

There were 164 male victims of knife or other sharp instrument homicides from April 2016 to March 2017, the highest number since the year ending March 2009, when there were 180.

In contrast, 51 girls and women were stabbed to death, the lowest number in 10 years.

Across both sexes, 67 of those killed by knives or sharp instruments were aged 24 or under - almost a third of the total. All but 10 of those were male.

They are the latest statistics to point to an increase in crime involving blades.

Police recorded 37,443 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in the 12 months to September 2017 - a rise of more than a fifth (21%) on the previous year.

Separate justice figures show the number of knife possession offences resulting in a caution or sentence hit the highest level for six years between July and September.

Last year, the government unveiled plans for a package of measures following a surge in violent offences recorded by police.

The proposals include a drive to tighten the regime covering online sales of knives following concerns that age-verification checks can be sidestepped.

Where a knife is sold on the internet, it will be an offence to deliver the item to a private residential address.

The buyer would have to collect the knife in person at a location where their age can be checked.

Alex Mayes, policy and public affairs adviser at charity Victim Support, said: "Knife crime has devastating effects for families and it is concerning to see that fatalities have reached their highest level this decade.

"It is really important that police, educators and local groups work together and with communities to tackle the root cause of these offences and to support all those affected."

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[Fedster + 1,307]

Did Theresa May not say just a few days ago that crime is at a record low under the Tories? How does that explain the above article?

[Reasonable Man + 1,231]

Because there are millions of crimes and only a small percentage of them are knife killings.

[Hyphen + 693]

@Fedster this is down to the way in which Police record these crimes now and also due to the victims feeling more confident to come forward and report it (even though they’re dead). Also, reform is working and we have more officers working on cybercrime now. 

[Zulu 22 + 4,576]

No mention of the ethnicity of the victims and the perpetrators, I wonder why. Stop and search would work, but, the future victims relatives and associates would object to it. All lives matter.

[Reasonable Man + 1,231]

No mention of the ethnicity of the victims and the perpetrators, I wonder why. Stop and search would work, but, the future victims relatives and associates would object to it. All lives matter.

There was a discussion about knife crime on the telly this week. I didn't watch it past the start but I think the figures they quoted for London was 81 deaths of which 31 were black. Didn't give ethnicity of the offenders.

[Zulu 22 + 4,576]

19 hours ago, Reasonable Man said:

There was a discussion about knife crime on the telly this week. I didn't watch it past the start but I think the figures they quoted for London was 81 deaths of which 31 were black. Didn't give ethnicity of the offenders.

You did not watch it past the start but you think!   Not exactly evidence. The point I was making was that the official figures quoted in the article made no mention of the ethnicity of victims or perpetrators. 

[Mac7 808]

Overall crime down. Budgets protected, an extra £450 million for the police and more officers bought from back offices into front line work. Nothing to see here.

[Reasonable Man + 1,231]

You did not watch it past the start but you think!   Not exactly evidence. The point I was making was that the official figures quoted in the article made no mention of the ethnicity of victims or perpetrators. 

I was trying to help your obvious point that a disproportionate number of black people are both victims and perpetrators of knife crime. Although I could equally have asked what has their ethnicity got to do with it.
The numbers for victims was at the start of the programme and I think those were the figures quoted, but I wouldn't bet my pension on it. I did not continue to watch so can't say if there was any mention of ethnicity of offenders.
Sorry for trying to be helpful and develop the point. Perhaps you could do some research and let us all know what the ethnicity mix is, and why it's important to know.

[Zulu 22 + 4,576]

The point being made was in relation to the use of stop and search. There is knife crime within domestic disputes as there are always knives available within the home. However with street crime use of knives, then they have to be carried specifically for only one purpose. I asked about the ethnicity of victims and perpetrators of street crime stabbings. From experience the majority of street knife crime is committed by black upon black yey non of those figured in the official report which I found unusual.

[SD + 688]

I think it’s better to look at it from a class point of view (I know class is subjective) as not only does it explain the knife crime statistics but also stop search statistics. If you look at the areas where knife crime is likely to take place they’re more often than not areas of poverty. As people from BAME backgrounds tend to be disproportionately living in poverty the BAME/white proportions are distorted. So in these areas knife crime and stop search is likely to be statistically proportionate dependant on race. When viewed nationally though the figures a skewed.