Knife crime in England and Wales reached an unprecedented high in the year to June, increasing by 7% on the previous 12 months, according to figures.
Police-recorded offences involving a knife or sharp instrument rose to 44,076, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said, the highest figure recorded since 2010-11 when comparable data began.
Almost half the offences were stabbings, 43% were robberies and the figures also included rape and sexual assault.
In the 12 months to June there were 235 knife murders and 412 attempted murders, while the total number of homicides recorded by the police fell by 5%, from 719 to 681 offences.
There was also a 14% fall in homicides where a knife or sharp instrument was involved, to 248 offences, mainly because of a decrease in London.
The data did not include Greater Manchester police (GMP) because of a “technical issue that resulted in previous undercounting of crimes involving a knife or sharp instrument”, the ONS said. GMP have subsequently changed their methodology and data from December 2017 onwards.
Joe Traynor, from the ONS centre for crime and justice, said: “While overall levels of violence have remained steady, the number of offences involving a knife has continued to increase across England and Wales.
“However, the number of homicides where a knife or sharp instrument was involved decreased, driven by falls in London.
“There is a mixed picture in the total number of knife crime offences across police forces with the Metropolitan police recording little change in the last year.”
Javed Khan, the CEO of the Barnardo’s charity, said in response to the ONS figures: “Knife crime is a symptom of a much wider, complex problem. Too many young people are suffering a ‘poverty of hope’, facing a future with no qualifications, no job prospects, and no role models.”
