HUGE RISE IN KNIFE MURDERS

Knife crime & killing rate rocket

POLITICAL leaders last night called for more police officers on the beat as new figures showed crime has rocketed by 11%.

The soaring numbers of killings, robberies and knife crimes sparked concern over “high harm” violence.

Excluding cases linked to tertoo ror attacks, the number of homicides increased by 12%, from 627 to 701 over the previous year.

Police dealt with 40,147 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument – a 16% rise, and the highest number since 2010/11.

Political leaders were last night calling on the Government to admit it had cut police forces much. They begged for extra officers.

Concern over serious violence intensified after a spate of fatal stabbings and shootings, with London in particular badly hit by bloodshed.

Alex Mayes, of Victim Support, said: “It’s truly shocking to see these rises in homicides and violent crime such as knife crime.”

And Diane Abbott, Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, vowed to flood the streets with 10,000 more cops if the party wins a future election.

She said: “While the Government continues to deny any link between the rise in serious crime and the cuts to police officer numbers, today we see what an appalling and traumatic impact Theresa May’s decisions have had on our society.

“This is a shameful day for the Prime Minister.”