Weapons jailings surge 11%

THE number of people jailed for having weapons has jumped 11% in a year amid a push to combat rising knife violence.

The Ministry of Justice said 2,470 such offenders were behind bars at the end of December, up from 2,227 previously.

It said in a report: “This substantial increase can be attributed to a range of factors, including more targeted police operations against knife crime.”

Separate crime data this week revealed a 21% rise in police recording offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in the year to September 2017.