Offensive Weapons

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were (a) injured and (b) killed as a result of knife crime offences in (i) Suffolk, (ii) Bedfordshire, (iii) Cambridgeshire, (iv) Essex, (v) Hertfordshire and (vi) Norfolk in each year since 1997. (140688)

The information available centrally relates to homicides by sharp instrument recorded by the police and is given in the table. Data for 2006-07 is not yet available.

*Offences currently recorded*¹ *as homicide by sharp instrument in the East of England region*²,*1997-98 to 2005-06*
	1997-98	1998-99	1999-2000	2000-01	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06
Bedfordshire	3	2	1	2	7	1	1	2	3
Cambridgeshire	1	1	4	0	1	2	5	1	2
Essex	1	5	9	2	10	7	5	0	7
Hertfordshire	2	1	5	4	3	4	4	5	4
Norfolk	0	5	2	4	1	0	3	1	1
Suffolk	0	0	0	3	2	0	2	2	3
East of England total	7	14	21	15	24	14	20	11	20
¹ As at 9 October 2006: figures subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information comes to light. ² England and Wales totals published in “Homicides, Firearm Offences and Intimate Violence 2005/06”. (Home Office Statistical Bulletin 02/07).

Volume 461: debated on Monday 18 June 2007