Swords and machetes among knives on trains
A SAMURAI sword, six machetes and 69 kitchen knives were among the arsenal confiscated on the rail network last year.
A total of 241 knives were seized by British Transport Police with fatal stabbings in 2018 the highest since records began.
There were 285 killings by knife or a sharp instrument in the 12 months ending March 2018, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Figures released under the Freedom of Information Act have revealed the scale of the problem.
Last year two butterfly, five craft, one diving, seven flick, 69 kitchen, 46 lock, 19 Stanley, two Swiss Army and 58 other knives were found, along with six penknives, three swords and a dagger. There were 1,059 crimes involving bladed articles on trains last year, with offences the highest in November at 99.
The figure has nearly doubled since 2017 when 130 knives were found on Britain’s trains, including 35 kitchen knives, 13 Stanley knives and two Samurai swords. Only 71 knives were collected in 2016 leading to 417 crimes compared to 632 offences involving bladed articles in 2017.
The youngest person attacked last year was 10 and the oldest 68, with 16 and 17-year-olds the most likely victims.
The findings correspond with the ONS figures which show one in four (71) of all victims (285) were men aged 18 to 24. In 2017 the youngest victim was 11 and the oldest was 61, with 15 and 17-year-olds most likely to be targeted compared with 15 and 16-year-olds who were most at risk in 2016 – with the youngest 12.
It emerged yesterday that more than 1,000 youngsters aged 10 to 19 were admitted to hospital with knife wounds last year.