Knife crime down in Force area despite national increase

20 July 2020

Humberside Police Federation chair Pete Musgrave has praised the hard work and dedication of officers after a reduction in knife crime figures.

New data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that knife crime in the Force area has fallen by four per cent, bucking the national trend.

There were 643 offences involving a knife or sharp weapon in Humberside in the 12 months to March. That figure is down from 669 offences in the previous 12 months, the figures show.

Pete said: “One knife crime is one too many but it’s pleasing to see that in Humberside we’re bucking the national trend. It’s down to the hard work and dedication of officers in tackling knife crime that we’re seeing some success.

“But we won’t resting on our laurels and more can be done to discourage people from carrying knives. The ongoing recruitment of more officers will help us to tackle knife crime, which quite rightly is seen as a priority by the public.

“And where people are involved in knife offences, we need to ensure they receive the toughest possible sentences to send out the strongest possible message.”

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.”