Police Data: UK Violent Crime Wave Grows Even Faster, London Knife Attacks up 40 Per Cent

Armed police stand guard near the start of the Great Manchester Run in Manchester on May 2
JON SUPER/AFP/Getty
Liam Deacon

The UK’s surge in recorded violent and sexual crime, including knife attacks, has accelerated at a faster rate than previously thought over the past year, new police statistics reveal.

Sadiq Khan’s London saw the largest increase in recorded knife crime – rocketing by a massive 38 per cent in just one year.

In England and Wales, around 5.3 million violent crimes were recorded in the 12 months to September 2017, up 14 per cent on the year before, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

The latest police figures from 44 forces around the country reveal that robbery was up by 29 per cent, sex offences up 23 per cent, knife crime up 21 per cent, and violent crime overall surged by 20 per cent.

There were a massive 37,443 knife crimes and 6,694 gun crime offences recorded in the 12 months to September.

Since 2011, the number of offences involving a knife or a sharp instrument had been falling, but began rising in the past three years, the ONS explained.

Vehicle-related theft offences also saw a rise, up 18 per cent, and burglary rose by 8 per cent compared to the previous 12 months.

A separate Crime Survey, however, based on people’s experiences, indicated that crime overall is down. It is based on interviews with 35,000 households in England and Wales and includes crimes not reported to police.

ONS Deputy National Statistician and Director General Iain Bell said in a blog post that “the conclusions we have drawn about increases in some crime categories are based on the police figures”.

Adding: “This is supplemented by other sources where possible. For example, police recorded crime is the main source of evidence for rises in knife and gun crime. The rising trend here is also seen in hospital data.’

“Similarly, police recorded crime was also used as an indication of recent rises in vehicle-related theft and burglary,” he also explained.

One week ago, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he “can not solve knife crime by myself”, blaming Conservative government cuts and implying right-wing opponents are lying.

Before his election, Mr. Khan claimed police stop and search tactics unfairly targeted minority ethnic groups and promised to “do everything in my power to cut” the practice, before reversing his stance as crime surged over the summer.

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