UPDATE: According to official statistics¹³⁴⁵, there were around 45,000 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument recorded by the police in England and Wales (excluding Greater Manchester Police Force) in the year ending March 2022.

This was a 16% increase from the previous year⁴. There were also 300 murders involving a knife or sharp instrument in England and Wales in the same period⁵, which was the highest total since 1946.

The Guardian² reports that knife crime has continued to rise in 2023, with several fatal stabbings occurring in London and other parts of the country.

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Source: Conversation with Bing, 05/03/2023:

(1) Knife crime in England and Wales for 2020 by ethnicity. https://www.ons.gov.uk/aboutus/transparencyandgovernance/freedomofinformationfoi/knifecrimeinenglandandwalesfor2020byethnicity Accessed 05/03/2023.

(2) Knife crime statistics - House of Commons Library. https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn04304/ Accessed 05/03/2023.

(3) Knife and Offensive Weapon Sentencing Statistics: April to ... - GOV.UK. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/knife-and-offensive-weapon-sentencing-statistics-april-to-june-2022 Accessed 05/03/2023.

(4) Knife Crime Statistics | The Ben Kinsella Trust. https://benkinsella.org.uk/knife-crime-statistics/ Accessed 05/03/2023.

(5) Knife crime | UK news | The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/uk/knifecrime Accessed 05/03/2023.