Knife crime offenses rise in England and Wales, data shows

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - Knife-related crimes in England and Wales have increased 4% in the past year, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Wednesday.

Police forces recorded a total of 50,510 knife-related incidents in the 12 months leading up to March 2024.

This is an increase from the 48,409 offences recorded in the same period the previous year, but still remains 3% lower than the 51,982 incidents reported in the year leading up to March 2020.

A significant factor in the overall increase is the "notable rise" in the number of robberies involving knives or sharp instruments.

These specific crimes surged by 13%, climbing from 18,787 in 2022/23 to 21,226 in 2023/24.

Despite this increase, the number of such robberies remains lower than the 22,727 recorded before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019/20.

Knife-enabled homicides have also seen a slight increase, with 233 cases reported in the year to March 2024, up from 226 the previous year.

This figure, however, remains below the pre-pandemic level of 253 homicides reported in the year leading to March 2020.