It is not presently possible to identify offences for those caught carrying a knife from the data centrally collected on overall recorded crime, or the penalties or sanctions that would have been associated with these offences. However, from April 2008 possession of an article with a blade or point has become a separate category in notifiable offences. Data for 2008-09 will be reported on in July 2009.
Since April 2007, police forces have been providing the Home Office with aggregate data on more serious violent offences in which a knife or sharp instrument was involved. Data relating to such offences recorded during 2007-08 were published in table 3.09 of the recent ‘Crime in England and Wales 2007-08’ statistical bulletin. This table is reproduced in Table A. Police force area is the lowest level for which we have data.
Numbers and percentages Total of selected serious offences2 Attempted murder Wounding with intent to do GBH Wounding or inflicting GBH (i.e. without intent)3 Police force area and region Offences involving a knife Offences involving a knife Offences involving a knife Offences involving a knife No. % No. % No. % No. % Cleveland 169 20 4 40 76 38 17 12 Durham 93 16 2 67 53 27 8 4 Northumbria 351 22 1 20 140 48 64 13 North East Region 613 20 7 39 269 39 89 11 Cheshire 224 23 1 17 64 32 26 13 Cumbria 73 28 2 100 20 45 35 21 Greater Manchester 2,294 20 20 20 600 43 315 14 Lancashire 361 18 8 44 138 26 46 9 Merseyside 757 22 3 9 312 35 52 7 North West Region 3,709 21 34 21 1,134 37 474 12 Humberside 267 17 2 40 55 23 34 10 North Yorkshire 66 12 1 20 21 15 4 2 South Yorkshire 381 20 6 43 111 33 43 14 West Yorkshire 915 21 10 45 306 37 75 12 Yorkshire and the Humber Region 1,629 19 19 41 493 32 1S6 11 Derbyshire 187 15 2 22 49 32 28 10 Leicestershire 294 19 5 45 99 33 25 14 Lincolnshire 71 18 0 0 29 20 9 12 Northamptonshire 216 17 3 27 83 42 10 5 Nottinghamshire 548 21 5 42 122 51 27 9 East Midlands Region 1,316 19 15 33 382 37 99 10 Staffordshire 219 13 1 25 34 50 75 9 Warwickshire 160 26 2 50 41 39 14 11 West Mercia 144 15 1 17 43 27 20 8 West Midlands 2,303 22 14 26 561 45 370 22 West Midlands Region 2,826 20 18 27 679 43 479 17 Bedfordshire 316 22 4 57 67 38 14 25 Cambridgeshire 100 11 3 50 21 13 16 11 Essex 289 16 6 40 89 30 10 7 Hertfordshire 222 19 8 89 46 26 35 15 Norfolk 67 12 1 100 22 15 13 12 Suffolk 118 22 2 50 33 48 42 22 East of England Region 1,112 17 24 57 278 27 130 15 London, City of 19 22 1 100 3 25 2 11 Metropolitan Police 7,409 18 59 50 878 48 869 32 London Region 7,428 18 60 61 881 48 871 32 Hampshire 388 18 7 50 88 36 108 14 Kent 327 18 10 71 94 25 32 12 Surrey 114 17 6 60 25 27 18 12 Sussex 274 20 2 29 62 47 84 24 Thames Valley 329 11 9 31 63 28 30 5 South East Region 1,432 16 34 46 332 31 272 13 Avon and Somerset 360 14 3 30 85 26 27 6 Devon and Cornwall 288 25 5 56 127 45 45 14 Dorset 47 9 0 0 20 31 11 5 Gloucestershire 85 18 1 33 15 17 4 4 Wiltshire 140 25 6 86 43 48 17 14 South West Region 920 17 15 43 290 34 104 9 England total 20,985 19 226 37 4,738 2,674 2,674 16 Dyfed-Powys 74 21 3 75 31 53 31 12 Gwent 130 17 1 50 79 22 8 5 North Wales 108 26 1 33 56 41 25 18 South Wales 685 28 0 0 333 38 46 13 Wales total 897 25 5 38 499 35 110 12 British Transport police 269 23 0 0 11 17 1 2 England and Wales 22,151 19 231 37 5,248 37 2,785 15
Robbery of business property Robbery of personal property Police force area and region Offences involving a knife Offences involving a knife No. % No. % Cleveland 16 40 56 12 Durham 13 45 17 11 Northumbria 45 34 101 15 North East Region 74 37 174 14 Cheshire 68 50 65 15 Cumbria 6 75 10 23 Greater Manchester 373 30 986 16 Lancashire 41 35 128 15 Merseyside 153 35 237 19 North West Region 641 33 1,426 16 Humberside 29 31 147 16 North Yorkshire 12 40 28 13 South Yorkshire 45 29 176 16 West Yorkshire 113 32 411 16 Yorkshire and the Humber Region 199 31 762 16 Derbyshire 24 28 84 12 Leicestershire 16 25 149 15 Lincolnshire 11 39 22 16 Northamptonshire 19 18 101 13 Nottinghamshire 56 28 338 18 East Midlands Region 126 26 694 16 Staffordshire 36 39 73 12 Warwickshire 31 31 72 26 West Mercia 19 25 61 13 West Midlands 192 29 1,166 17 West Midlands Region 278 30 1,372 16 Bedfordshire 32 35 199 18 Cambridgeshire 14 19 46 8 Essex 30 17 154 14 Hertfordshire 21 24 112 17 Norfolk 7 23 24 9 Suffolk 11 31 30 13 East of England Region 115 23 565 14 London, City of 1 50 12 23 Metropolitan Police 612 18 4,991 15 London Region 613 18 5,003 15 Hampshire 33 27 152 16 Kent 43 27 148 15 Surrey 29 29 36 12 Sussex 27 29 99 12 Thames Valley 47 19 180 10 South East Region 179 25 615 13 Avon and Somerset 17 16 228 13 Devon and Cornwall 33 45 78 17 Dorset 3 11 13 6 Gloucestershire 14 38 51 20 Wiltshire 22 52 52 17 South West Region 89 31 422 14 England total 2,314 26 11,033 15 Dyfed-Powys 3 50 6 15 Gwent 10 37 32 14 North Wales 0 0 26 19 South Wales 29 42 177 23 Wales total 42 41 241 21 British Transport Police 3 100 254 24 England and Wales 2,359 26 11,528 15 1 Other offences exist that are not shown in this table that may include the use of a knife or sharp Instrument. In this table ‘offences involving a knife’ refers to the use of a knife or sharp instrument. 2 Total of selected serious offences only include the five offence types shown In this table. 3 Includes racially or religiously aggravated wounding or inflicting GBH.