The number of violent crimes committed in England and Wales has risen by 37 per cent, according to the latest quarterly figures from the Office for National Statistics.
Homicides increased by 14 per cent, fuelled by a 9 per cent hike in knife crime and a 4 per cent rise in gun crime, largely attributed to gang violence in London and Manchester, says The Guardian.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Chief Constable Jeff Farrar, of the National Police Chiefs' Council, said many of the notable increases in specific crimes were down to more reporting and better recording.
However, he acknowledged that the rise in knife crime was a "worrying development" and promised that "chief officers are working together to determine how best to respond".
Policing minister Mike Penning said the numbers were welcome news.
"The ONS is clear that this rise reflects improvements in recording practice and a willingness of victims to come forward," he said.
But Labour was quick to pin the blame on cutbacks made by the Conservative government.
"The Tories have slashed police officers by 17,000 and broke their promise to the public to protect frontline officer numbers," said shadow policing minister Jack Dromey.
"The first duty of any government is the safety and security of our citizens," he added. "The biggest cuts to any police force in Europe is letting the British people down."
-
August 30 editorial cartoonsCartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump's role reversal and King George III
-
5 bullseye cartoons about the reasons for mass shootingsCartoons Artists take on gun worship, a price paid, and more
-
Lisa Cook and Trump's battle for control the US FedTalking Point The president's attempts to fire one of the Federal Reserve's seven governor is represents 'a stunning escalation' of his attacks on the US central bank
-
What we know about the Copenhagen mall shootingSpeed Read Lone gunman had mental health issues and not thought to have terror motive, police say
-
Texas school shooting: parents turn anger on policeSpeed Read Officers had to be urged to enter building where gunman killed 21 people
-
DJ Tim Westwood denies multiple sexual misconduct allegationsSpeed Read At least seven women accuse the radio and TV presenter of predatory behaviour dating back three decades
-
What happened to Katie Kenyon?Speed Read Man charged as police search for missing 33-year-old last seen getting into van
-
Brooklyn subway shooting: exploring New York’s ‘steep decline in law and order’Speed Read Last week, a gunman set off smoke bombs and opened fire on a rush-hour train in the city
-
How the Capitol attack investigation is splitting the RepublicansSpeed Read Vote to censure two Republican representatives has revealed deep divisions within party
-
Is sentencing a Nazi sympathiser to read Shakespeare an appropriate punishment?Speed Read Judge seemed to think introducing student ‘to high culture’ would ‘magically make him a better person’ said The Daily Telegraph
-
Sarah Everard’s murder: a national reckoning?Speed Read Wayne Couzen’s guilty plea doesn’t ‘tidy away the reality of sexual violence’
