London saw a surge in knife crime earlier this year
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Forces in England and Wales logged a total of 5.3 million crimes in the year ending September 2017. This is a 14-percent increase compared with the previous 12 months. Knife crime made up a significant number of these crimes.
But some experts believe this figure should be taken with caution. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) are attributing much of the rise to changes in recording practices and increased confidence of victims in coming forward.
Mark Bangs, a statistician for ONS, said in a statement: “While overall levels of violent crime were not increasing, there is evidence of rises having occurred in some of the low incidence but more harmful categories such as knife and gun crime.”
“The first year-on-year comparisons from new estimates of fraud, one of the most frequently occurring crimes, indicate fewer incidents were experienced by the general population compared with the previous year.”
London has seen a significant rise in knife crime, with the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan saying earlier this month that the police will work “tirelessly in 2018 and beyond to stamp out” the surge of stabbings. This came after four people were stabbed to death on New Year’s Eve alone. The Mayor added that “if you use a knife the full force of the law will be brought down on you.”
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HeadlineNew figures released show knife crime is on the rise
Short HeadlineKnife crime is on the rise across the UK, raising fears across London boroughs
Standfirst
Forces in England and Wales logged a total of 5.3 million crimes in the year ending September 2017. This is a 14-percent increase compared with the previous 12 months. Knife crime made up a significant number of these crimes.
But some experts believe this figure should be taken with caution. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) are attributing much of the rise to changes in recording practices and increased confidence of victims in coming forward.
Mark Bangs, a statistician for ONS, said in a statement: “While overall levels of violent crime were not increasing, there is evidence of rises having occurred in some of the low incidence but more harmful categories such as knife and gun crime.”
“The first year-on-year comparisons from new estimates of fraud, one of the most frequently occurring crimes, indicate fewer incidents were experienced by the general population compared with the previous year.”
London has seen a significant rise in knife crime, with the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan saying earlier this month that the police will work “tirelessly in 2018 and beyond to stamp out” the surge of stabbings. This came after four people were stabbed to death on New Year’s Eve alone. The Mayor added that “if you use a knife the full force of the law will be brought down on you.”
