Latest knife crime statistics - Spring 2011

Numbers of crimes using knives last year (2010) have fallen 4.26% - total 'knife crimes' are recorded by police as 29259 which is 1301 less than 2009.

Can't help thinking the work of anti-knife crime campaigners everywhere is helping make this difference. We can take some credit for that significant drop, hopefully. That said, with all statistics, a healthy scepticism and closer examination is pretty much always required.

Still, looks like progress, and if these latest knife crime figures convey a reasonable picture of progress, we can consider that our campaigning works and we need to stay strong and focused on improving the work done so far and dripping the anti-knife crime message into our communities and those inclined to violence.

It is a mammoth mountain still to climb of course. And no-one can replace - or forget - loved ones who have been lost to blades and other weapons. Imagine these facts alone are enough to keep us pushing on though.

More statistics on knife crime:

Knife killings totalled 200 in 2010, three more than the 197 recorded in 2009. And behind that figure lies the tragedy of many people trying to re-build lives after losing loved ones.

Attempted murders using knives were shown to fall by 57 to 206, 22% less than the 263 recorded in 2009.

Closer inspection of the 2010 knife crime statistics shows robberies using knives rose to 14279, a three (3) per cent increase from recorded knife robberies in 2009 (13908).

Robbers with knives are ones to be wary of - killers in waiting. Do you know any thieves? They seem more likely to use knives so worth trying to target them.

Rapists too seem to favour using knives to get their sickening way. An 11% increase in rapes with knives has been recorded - from 213 blade rapes in 2009 to 239 last year.

Threats to kill using knives also rose year-on-year in 2010 from 1,419 to 1,454. Gun /  firearms crimes dropped seven (7) per cent last year.

Collection anomalies mean West Midlands police force figures are not included in this analysis - which means conclusions reached above might be off the mark. Can anyone send me this data?

Figures sourced from the British Crime Survey and police statistics in England and Wales via an article in The Guardian.

Lady Gaga and Rhianna's shameful gun self-publicity

POP STARS promoting guns and other weapons is an unacceptable situation. Are the creative minds of their marketing mandarins so poor that they cannot think beyond developing campaigns that utilise killing instruments to boost public image? Too much X-Box, Microsoft, Nintendo and Playstation growing up me-thinks.

In all honesty, can't these supposedly cool music industry types think up something more original than using guns to promote celebrity musicians? The entertainers and their entourage ought to be ashamed of themselves. Here's the pictures on the web:

Lady Gaga in Rolling Stone magazine

(see more Lady Gaga gun images)

Rhianna now sports gun tattoos

(see more Rhianna gun images)

This shameful marketing and self-publicity is beyond the pale. It glorifies guns and weapons, endorses them, puts them 'front-of-mind' for impressionable young people. FFS, if you're thinking of using guns or knives in your next round of marketing, don't do it. Just try to remember many people's loved ones killed by weapons - and then do the responsible thing... dream up something better than guns and knives to sell your products.