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.

Murderous death toll: England capital since 2001

It's been 10 years since the killing of schoolboy Damilola Taylor (stabbed in the leg with a jagged bottle). A national newspaper published knife and gun crime statistics revealing a 138-strong list of the victims of violence in London since then... 138 in a single decade in just one city (30 shootings, 92 stabbings)...

Across England, c.835 young people aged under 14 have been admitted to hospital with knife wounds over the past 10 years.

Knife crime remains a tragic and terrible scourge affecting the UK... it remains unresolved.

Knife and gun violence victims (pictures) - page 1:

Knife and gun crime victims 'in memoriam': Nicholas Clarke, Amro Elbadawi, Lyle Tulloch, Jimmy Mizen, Rob Knox, Sharmaarke Hassan, Ben Kinsella, Shakilus Townsend, David Idowu, Frederick Moody, Michale Simon Wright, Shannen Vickers, Wahab Zaaki, Abdulkarim Boudiaf, Oluwaseyi Ogunyemi, Adam Pervaiz, Jahmal Mason-Blair, Maleha Masud, Carlbeatson Asideu, Michael McCarthy, Agnes Sina-inakoju, Wesley Sterling, Charlie Wright, Nicholas Pearton, Samuel Ogunro, Zac Olumegbon, Ailton Campos de Oliverira, Rio McFarlane, Marvin Henry, Samuel Adelagun

Knife and gun violence victims (pictures) - page 2:

Knife and gun crime victims 'in memoriam': Wayne Lawrence, Chris Gustave, Jason Rix, Wayne Henry, Jude Akapa, Shirone Booker, Shane Hegarty, Amias Hall, Junior Obiribo, Isa Abdul Mutakabbir, Leon Morton, Tanita Ffrench, Luke Plowright, Marvin Benoit, Ashley Bridgeman, Michael O'Connor, Christopher Alexis, Kieran Van Dross Rodney-Davis, Kashif Mahmood, Ruth Okechukwu, Gavin Brown, Christopher Davis, Jamail Newton, Dean Lahlou, Jevon Henry, James Smartt-Ford, Martin Dinnegan, Abu Shahin, Abukar Mahamud, Nathan Foster, Ofiyke Nmezu, Sunday Essiet, Tung Le, Michael Alexander Jones, Ryan Bravo, Nilanthan Murddi, Charles Junior Hendricks, Shaquille Smith, Oliver Kingonzila, Craig Marshall, Steven Lewis, Salum Kombo, Isschan Nicholls, Olukorede Fajinmi, Jessie Wright, Sofyen Belam-Ouaddin, Godwin Lawson, Aliza Mirza

Knife and gun violence victims (pictures) - page 3:

Knife and gun crime victims 'in memoriam': James Peregrino, Tyrone Rowe, Scott Young, Abdul Maye, Benjamin Wright, Supenthar Ramachandran, Adrian Worrell, Kayser Osman, Junaid Sheikh, Jahmai Conquest, Sika Michaels, Jadie Brissett, Kishokumar Balachandiran, Dean Davis, Clarence Ross, Sajid Patel, Colin Igwe, Ashley Hedger, Karl Hamilton, Anton Hymab, Steven Carrigan-Cole, Sayed Najee-Bullah, Robert Levy, Warren Graham, Triston Christmas, David Wheaton, Charlotte Polius, Stefan Persaud, Troy Robinson, Hussein Hursi, Mahir Osman, Tommy Winston, Barrington Williams-Samuels, Kiyan Prince, Alex Kamonda, Julian Knight, Paul McMillan, Jerome Vassell, Eugene Attram, Emmanuel Oduinewu, Michael Oosunmu, Billy Cox, Kodjo Yenga, Adam Regis, Paul Erhahon, Danielle Johnson, Dwaine Douglas, Sian Simpson, Ben Hitchcock, Annaka Keniesha Pinto, Mohammed Ahmed, Edvin Johnson, Rizwan Darbar, Philip Poru, Etem Celebi, Jack Large, David Nowak, Nassirudeen Osawe, Henry Bolombi, Boduka Mudianga

Perhaps there are signs of a little hope: murders and attempted murders with a knife, in all ages, have dropped slightly compared to last year - 530 in 2008-09; 467 in 2009-10.

(Published in the Independent on Sunday - report was by Andrew Johnson, Nina Lakhani, Susannah Butter)

Knife crime campaigners: keep on pushing, don't be discouraged...

We have to wonder if efforts to curb knife crime are having much effect after latest knife crime statistics show four in 10 youth killings are from blades.


Having said that, I detect signs of hope that we may win this campaigning... we are fortunate in this country (UK) to have the lowest knife death rates in Europe (see Guardian story - Knife is most common weapon used in killings of young people)


So take heart... be encouraged... keep up the pressure... "keep on pushing, don't be discouraged"... anti-knife crime campaigners continue to unite - we can beat such a terrible scourge affecting this nation and countries around the world. Dream on and the shanking yobs and knife criminals we'll beat...


STOP PRESS: Offensive weapons crimes such as those involving knives have fallen to their lowest level for ten years, according to latest police statistics (I think they are Scottish stats). Still a long way to go but read more here - Knife crime at lowest level for a decade.

Knife crime statistics

JUST checking website analytics on knife crime statistics and was pleased to see little traffic during Christmas - no-one is out doing knife crime maybe and needing to check this blog... we live in hope.

Knife crime statistics in the UK - round-up

Knife crime statistics are one of the most common reasons people visit this blog. I thought I'd add a list of current knife facts and figures (all published during this year 2009).

• Interactive map of knife crime in the UK
  
• Map of knife crime statistics in UK
  
• 120% rise in knife crime since 2003
  
• Numbers jailed for knife crime
  
• Crimestoppers - latest crime stats
  
• Numbers of stab victims decrease
  
• Knife crime figures 'fiddled'
  

Let me know if these are useful or there are others you are after - just click here to post your views, comments or requests.

Knife crime statistics for London - May 2009

Not sure it's great news - but there appears to be progress in London. The Metropolitan Police have announced some knife crime statistics across the capital including figures showing that stabbing injuries are down by almost a third (30%).

A quote from a senior office probably describes the situation realistically: "There is still too much violence, still far too many kids carrying weapons, still far too many kids getting involved in what they would call a gang. This is not job done, it's job ongoing and we've got to maintain our focus."

The police have been arresting people at the rate of one stabber every 51 minutes (arrests have totalled 10266). Some 5480 bladed weapons were seized with most found to carry knives (90%) being charged with a 'possession' offence.

Doubt has been cast on aspects of this statistic reporting with anti-knife campaigners pointing out that many more people are being stabbed than are being reported, indicating accident and emergency statistics provide a more accurate picture.

More details of London's knife crime statistics.

Are more young people now reporting the stabbers?

If any confirmation was needed that the knife-wielding scourge in this country is a long way from being solved, it is the news that children aged under 10 have been stopped carrying blades.

A total of 31 youngsters under 16 years old were charged last year for being in possession of a knife compared to just a dozen in 2004. 

Alarming statistics.

However, there is at least anecdotal evidence suggesting more young people are reporting their peers for carrying knives - which of course could explain the increase and makes it good news.

Keep shopping the stabbers - that's a message we can keep promoting this year. Simply, knife-carrying is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Come on, crime fighters - keep shopping the stabbers!

Map of knife crime statistics across England + Wales

'Blade Britain' - map of knife crimes in police force counties and areas across the UK; recorded blade crime statistics / figures (from the Daily Mail online).

Interesting to see that Sussex - a county that police claimed did not have a knife problem - records a total of 274 such crimes over a year. Bear in mind, I appeared on BBC radio this month to highlight that knives were being carried in Sussex. As well as reports I've had to my blog, these figures are also evidence that I was correct.