Hansard

Homicide

Volume 496: debated on Monday 20 July 2009

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Paul Holmes

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of homicide involving killing by a sharp instrument there have been in each police force area in each year since 1997. (281673)

Mr. Alan Campbell

Available information is from the Homicide Index and relates to the number of homicides recorded by police in England and Wales between 1997-98 and 2007-08.

Homicides currently recorded1 where apparent method of killing is sharp instrument2, by police force area: England and Wales

Year offence initially recorded as homicide3

Police force area

1997-98

1998-99

1999-2000

2000-01

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

Avon and Somerset

3

5

5

3

4

4

4

4

2

4

6

Bedfordshire

3

2

1

2

7

1

1

4

3

3

3

British Transport Police

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

1

1

Cambridgeshire

1

1

4

-

1

2

5

2

2

2

4

Cheshire

3

3

—

—

3

2

5

3

7

4

2

Cleveland

1

1

3

5

3

3

3

3

3

3

4

Cumbria

3

1

5

3

1

2

1

1

—

—

3

Derbyshire

2

1

2

1

4

2

3

2

2

3

1

Devon and Cornwall

8

6

1

5

6

2

3

10

4

5

6

Dorset

1

1

1

3

—

3

6

—

—

2

2

Durham

3

2

—

1

2

3

—

2

3

5

—

Dyfed Powys

—

2

—

1

—

3

—

—

2

1

1

Essex

1

5

9

2

10

7

5

—

6

9

3

Gloucestershire

1

1

3

—

3

3

2

2

—

2

—

Greater Manchester

16

14

10

14

23

19

17

15

11

13

15

Gwent

—

1

1

2

2

2

—

4

1

2

2

Hampshire

1

3

5

5

7

10

3

7

4

7

7

Hertfordshire

2

1

5

4

3

4

4

5

3

6

3

Humberside

2

2

2

2

3

5

8

3

1

7

6

Kent

7

3

8

4

10

6

4

4

7

6

5

Lancashire

6

2

1

15

4

10

12

11

1

4

13

Leicestershire

1

1

—

4

2

4

9

3

3

5

3

Lincolnshire

—

1

2

—

1

2

2

—

—

3

3

London:

City of London

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

1

—

Metropolitan

62

52

68

69

68

68

61

62

57

70

78

Merseyside

8

11

6

14

3

12

10

14

10

10

9

Norfolk

—

5

2

4

1

—

3

1

1

3

3

North Wales

2

—

2

1

2

4

—

5

2

1

3

North Yorkshire

1

—

1

—

—

—

1

3

2

—

—

Northamptonshire

2

2

1

3

3

5

1

—

6

6

4

Northumbria

11

5

9

5

4

8

8

6

7

10

14

Nottinghamshire

3

6

5

4

6

3

6

6

7

7

3

South Wales

9

9

6

3

10

1

3

4

2

7

5

South Yorkshire

2

3

4

4

6

7

2

7

6

3

8

Staffordshire

4

4

2

—

1

—

3

3

2

5

3

Suffolk

—

—

—

3

2

—

2

2

3

2

2

Surrey

1

1

1

1

2

1

1

4

3

—

3

Sussex

4

4

5

5

6

9

3

9

4

3

3

Thames Valley

7

7

8

3

9

13

3

6

7

8

6

Warwickshire

—

2

1

—

1

2

2

3

1

5

2

West Mercia

3

3

1

3

5

2

5

3

—

3

1

West Midlands

4

16

15

9

19

17

22

21

22

15

15

West Yorkshire

12

12

7

8

11

13

7

13

11

12

13

Wiltshire

2

—

1

—

3

2

2

3

1

1

2

Total

202

201

213

215

261

266

242

260

219

269

270

1 As at 4 November 2008; figures are revised as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available.

2 Includes knives as well as other sharp instruments.

3 Offences are shown according to the year in which the police initially recorded the offence as homicide. This is not necessarily the year in which the incident took place or the year in which any court decision was made.