London: Over 13k incidents of knife attack in 12 months; Southwark, Westminster and Croydon: most dangerous streets

London: London has reportedly become the knife crime capital of the United Kingdom after data revealed that over 13,000 incidents were reported here in just 12 months, highest among all cities. According to crime survey data released by the Office for National Statistics, 49,991 non-fatal knife crimes were recorded across England and Wales between October 2021 and June 2022. This means around 136 incidents occurred per day. As per reports, Knife offences recorded by the Metropolitan police here increased from 10,605 to 11,232 during that reporting period, for a rate of 125 incidents per 100,000 people. During that time, 38% (258) of the 679 homicides investigated in England and Wales were the result of an assault with a knife or sharp instrument. However, that time frame excludes the recent spate of high-profile murders and attacks which have jolted the city. According to a report by an English media portal, the Met Police recorded a total of 6,843 knife crimes between June and November of this year, with 1,973 resulting in injury or death. In the year to November, 13,405 separate incidents were investigated. Westminster has the highest rate of offences per capita in London, with 253 since June, accounting for approximately one incident per 1,000 people, while Bromley, Kingston upon Thames, and Richmond upon Thames have the lowest rates. Kensington and Chelsea had 89 incidents, while Southwark had 273 incidents, Greenwich had 113, and Islington had 120. August was the most dangerous month overall, with 1,125 offences compared to 850 in February. According to London mayor Sadiq Khan, gangs are responsible for nearly a quarter of all killings and more than half of all shootings in London. He did, however, warn that knife crime is not just a gang issue and affects the entire community. Reportedly, Khan first implemented a knife crime strategy in 2017 in an effort to tackle the epidemic, vowing to ‘divert young people at highest risk of offending and victimisation away from a life ruined by crime’. “Our communities are sick and tired of the damage that knife crime causes,” he said. According to research conducted at the time, young, male gang members are the most likely to be carrying knives in London. Reportedly, the knife incidents have seen a rise outside of London also. In the West Midlands, such incidents increased from 3,299 to 4,958 - 169 per 100,000 people - while Greater Manchester increased from 3,297 to 3,563 offences. The data, which examined incidents responded to by police over a nine-month period from October 2021 to June 2022, discovered that, while still high, knife crimes have fallen below pre-Covid levels. 55,076 offences were reported in the fiscal year ending March 2020. The primary reason for this decrease is a 27% decrease in knife-based robberies. However, all violent and sexual offences involving knives increased, with the exception of homicide, which decreased by 1% to 259 offences. Homicides have also decreased by 5% compared to the fiscal year ending March 2020. According to the most recent data, the homicide rate in England and Wales is 11 per one million people, compared to 12 per one million in 2020 and 10 per one million in 2021. The same study looked at trends in gun crime in England and Wales and discovered that police recorded 5,976 firearm-related offences during the reporting period. This represented a 10% decrease in gun crime compared to pre-Covid levels in 2020, and was comparable to figures recorded in 2021. The most frequent offences involved imitation firearms, such as replica guns, BB guns, and soft air weapons, with 2,060 incidents recorded, 37% more than in the year ending March 2020. There were 1,866 handgun offences and 439 shotgun offences. The data includes any crime in which a firearm was used as a weapon, a blunt instrument, or a threat. According to Met Police data, which recorded 1,464 offences in the year ending September 2022, gun crime is also on the decline in London. With 102 and 94 known incidents, Lambeth and Haringey experienced the most gun violence during that reporting period. Richmond upon Thames was the safest suburb in London, with only 13 known gun-related offences. Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram .