Knife Crime: Report places South Yorkshire among worst hot spots in England and Wales for knife crime
South Yorkshire has one of the highest rates of knife crime in the country, it is now claimed
Statistics place the county only one ranking behind London, when the figures are taken as incidents per head of population,
They are drawn from statistics recorded by forces including the Metropolitan Police, as well as South Yorkshire Police, and other forces up and down the country.
And they have been included in a report by the security company Churchill Support Services.
It ranks South Yorkshire as fourth in England and Wales, with a knife crime rate of 11.7 Per 10,000 people.
Describing South Yorkshire as a highly urban area, it adds: “South Yorkshire is home to the towns and cities of Sheffield, Rotherham, and Doncaster. The region has a total knife crime count of 1,629, which correlates to a worryingly high rate of 11.7 offences per 10,000 people. Further compounding this is the unflinching nature of knife crime in the area, which saw a zero per cent change from the last year.”
London was third placed, with a rate of 15.6 per 10,000 people. Second place was Cleveland, with a knife crime rate of 17.0 per 10,000 people. And the worst place was the West Midlands, with a knife crime rate of 17.7 per 10,000 people.
The company said in a statement: “Across England and Wales, 48,716 knife crimes were reported over the last year, which breaks down to 7.9 offences per 10,000 people. This makes knife offences a less common occurrence than many other crimes, but due to their more serious nature, local communities will often feel more affected from the heightened danger and fear that knife crime can bring to the area.
Unsurprisingly, the majority of knife crimes are related to assault and robbery, responsible for 44.8 per cent and 41.3 per cent of knife crimes respectively. Threats with a knife are also common, coming in at 11.3 per cent of all reported knife offences. The most serious instances of crime, including sexual assault, homicide, and attempted murder are less common, totalling 2.6 per cent of all knife offences.
“What all knife crimes share, however, is a dire threat to life. Whether it’s someone being robbed on the street at knifepoint, or a sharp object being used in a drunken brawl, each and every knife incident has the possibility of lives being lost. This often results in families and communities being torn apart, the perpetrator receiving a lengthy jail sentence, and trust being diminished in local institutions like schools and the police.”
Superintendent David Cowley, who is the South Yorkshire Police force lead for knife crime, said: "Our officers continue to show our dedication in taking these out right appalling weapons off our streets.
"Unfortunately, we have seen some recent incidents where people have sadly died or were seriously injured as a result of knife crime. This is not acceptable. These incidents have left family's grieving and communities rightly shaken-up.
"Please be assured, we are working together with our partners to reduce these incidents and make the streets of South Yorkshire safe for everyone to enjoy.
"If you see our officers around and have any concerns, please do stop and take to them. They are here to help."
Norfolk had the lowest rate, with 5.6 incidents per 10,000 people.