Knife crime hits all-time high after more than 43,000 offences across England and Wales last year

‘Children are not born with knives in their hands, knife crime is a symptom of a much bigger problem’

A man holds a knife. (iStock/Getty)

The number of offences involving knives in England and Wales has risen to an all-time high after 43,516 were reported to police last year, official statistics have revealed.

The rate of knife crime for the year to March 2019 was the highest since comparable records began in 2011 and a surge of eight per cent on the previous year.

The figures released on Thursday by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) do not include Greater Manchester Police, one of the biggest police forces in the UK, which records data differently.

There was a rise of 3,301 knife crime offences from 2017/18, with the volume of offences up 42 per cent since the year ending March 2011.

The total number of homicides in 2018/19 increased slightly to 701 offences from 693 in the previous 12 months, excluding terror attacks.

Mark Bangs, from the Office for National Statistics Centre for Crime and Justice, said: “The picture of crime is a complex one.

“Overall levels of crime have remained steady, but this is not the case for all types of crime.

“For example, overall levels of violence have remained steady but we have seen increases in violent crimes involving knives and sharp instruments.

ONS graph showing rate of knife crime from 2003 to 2019. (Office for National Statistics (ONS))

“We have seen increases in fraud and overall theft, but decreases in burglary following recent rises.”

Commenting on the figures, Javed Khan, chief executive of children’s charity Barnardo’s, said urgent action was needed to ensure “future generations are not condemned to live in an endless spiral of violence”.

He added: “It’s unacceptable that the knife crime crisis continues unabated with offences at record levels.

The scene of a triple stabbing in Croydon, London, where a teenager died, 11 July 2019. (Dr Melissa Jogie/PA Wire)

“Children are not born with knives in their hands, knife crime is a symptom of a much bigger problem.

“Our frontline support services say vulnerable children and young people are being recruited and exploited by criminal gangs and forced to traffic drugs and carry knives.”