Nine-year high in thugs caught carrying a knife
THE number of people caught with knives or dangerous weapons in England and Wales has reached a nine-year high, Ministry of Justice figures show.
Knife crime offences have risen by a third since 2015 to 22,041, the highest since 2010. Almost three quarters (72 per cent) were first-time offenders.
Nearly two-thirds of the cases (63 per cent) did not result in an immediate prison term but offenders who were jailed faced longer sentences, rising from 7.1 months last year to 7.9 months in the year ending this March.
One in five of those convicted or cautioned for possessing or making threats with blades or offensive weapons was aged 10 to 17, a slight fall on the previous year, but a 48 per cent increase on the number in 2015.
Yvette Cooper MP, who chairs the Home Affairs Select Committee, said: “It’s shocking that the Government still doesn’t have a grip on this violent epidemic. Early intervention and youth prevention must be prioritised in order to keep our kids off the streets and away from violence.”
Robert Buckland, the Justice Minister, responded: “We are doing more – the Government’s Offensive Weapons Act will make it harder for young people to buy knives and help the police target those most at risk of being drawn into serious violence.”
Two-thirds (64 per cent) of repeat offenders received immediate jail sentences under the 2015 rules which state that those convicted of one or more previous knife offences should receive a jail term “unless it would not be in the interest of justice to do so.” This represents a rise on the proportion of 48 per cent in 2015 but still means that more than a third of repeat offenders escape immediate jail terms.
Those convicted of knife possession in the first three months of 2019 is at a record quarterly high. With about 3,700 offences, it is the highest since records were first compiled in 2007.
The figures reflect the surge in knife crime in England and Wales as well as increased police action such as more use of stop-and-search.