County knife crime up by a third

20 July 2020

Hertfordshire Police Federation chair Geoff Bardell has called for knife crime offenders to face tough sentences to help deter people from carrying blades.

Geoff’s comments came as new Government figures show that knife crime in the Force area rose by a third in the last year.

There were 733 offences involving a knife or sharp weapon in Hertfordshire in the 12 months to March.

That figure is up from 550 offences in the previous 12 months, data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows, a rise of 33 per cent.

Geoff said: “A rise in knife crime of a third is a worrying trend and it will be concerning for the people and the communities that we serve.

“Our members are often the first on the scene of a knife crime and see at first hand the devastating impact it can have on people and families.

“As a Force, we’re doing everything we can to prevent and deter people from carrying weapons. We’re recruiting more officers, which will help us to tackle knife crime.

“But it’s only a start. We need the criminal justice system to back up the work of our members by handing out the toughest possible sentences and sending out a message that knife crime will not be tolerated.”

Across England and Wales the number of offences involving a knife or sharp weapon rose by six per cent to 46,265, its highest level on record.

Robbery also increased for the fifth year in a row, by six per cent (to 83,241 offences) compared with the previous year.

National Federation chair John Apter said: “It’s a tragedy knife crime continues to spiral as my colleagues are stretched to their limits, and with fewer officers on patrol it comes as no surprise.

“More than ever we need a visible deterrent to violent crime. We need more officers available to deter and prevent these kinds of crimes and ease the burden on colleagues.”

He added: “Yet again we see the effects of austerity that have necessitated this current Government’s investment in funding and the 20,000-officer uplift announced last year – investment that will still only bring us back to pre-2010 levels.”

There was a rise of 10 per cent in homicides to 683, which includes the 39 people found dead inside a lorry in Essex last October. Excluding the lorry deaths, homicides increased by three per cent.

However, many crimes have fallen including a four per cent decrease in recorded offences involving firearms and a four per cent fall in theft.

Burglary offences recorded by the police have also continued on a long-term decline, decreasing by nine per cent.

John added: “The fact some statistics have fallen despite this is a testament to the hard work and dedication of officers who police with professionalism across the country.”