Knife crime offences in London recorded by the Metropolitan Police rose 12 months on 12 months within the newest figures, however haven’t but returned to ranges seen earlier than the Covid-19 pandemic. Some 14,577 offences had been recorded within the 12 months to December 2023, House Workplace knowledge exhibits.
That is up 20 per cent from 12,119 within the earlier 12 months, however is barely beneath the 14,680 within the 12 months to March 2020.
Of the 49,489 knife crime offences recorded in England and Wales in 2023, 29 per cent had been by the Metropolitan Police, a better proportion than some other power.
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West Midlands Police had been second, accounting for 11 per cent of the whole (5,324 offences), and West Yorkshire Police had been third on 5 per cent (2,349).
When trying on the variety of offences per inhabitants, West Midlands Police had the best fee in 2023, with 180 per 100,000 individuals, adopted by the Metropolitan Police (165 per 100,000), then Cleveland Police (143 per 100,000) and South Yorkshire Police (110 per 100,000).
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The Met was one in every of 23 forces in England and Wales to report a year-on-year enhance in knife crime offences in 2023, with 17 recording a lower and one reporting no change.
The most important share enhance in offences amongst full-size forces was recorded by Avon & Somerset Police (up 24 per cent on 2022), adopted by South Wales (up 23 per cent), the Metropolitan Police (up 20 per cent) and Durham (up 19 per cent).
Metropolis of London Police, the smallest power in England and Wales, recorded 49 offences in 2023, up from 26 in 2022, a bounce of 88 per cent.
Lincolnshire Police recorded the biggest share lower (down 26 per cent).
The figures don’t embody Better Manchester Police or the Devon & Cornwall power, on account of knowledge points.
Some 112 homicides had been recorded by the Metropolitan Police in 2023, 72 of which concerned a knife.
House Workplace figures present the variety of knife crime offences recorded by the Met was rising initially of the final decade, from 12,485 in 2010/11 to 13,260 in 2011/12, after which it fell steadily to succeed in 9,016 in 2014/15.
The quantity then started to climb once more, peaking at 14,680 offences in 2019/20, earlier than dropping sharply to 10,080 in 2020/21 the primary 12 months of the pandemic.
Numerous elements have contributed to rises in police-recorded crime over current years, based on the Workplace for Nationwide Statistics.
These embody “enhancements to recording processes and practices by the police, expansions of the recorded crime assortment to incorporate new offences, variations in police exercise, extra victims reporting crime, and real will increase in some varieties of crime.”
