Convictions and cautions for carrying a knife soar to the highest level in a decade

THE number of people convicted or cautioned for carrying a knife has hit the highest level in a decade.

Last year police and courts dealt with 14,219 offences for possession in England and Wales.

That's up four per cent since 2018 (13,632) and the highest figure since 2009 (12,973) when the figures were first compiled, according to Ministry of Justice statistics.

Cautions and convictions for crimes of this kind hit their lowest level in 2013 (9,450) and have steadily risen since then.

The number of immediate jail sentences handed out for such offences was also at a ten-year record high last year at 8,383.

That was up from 8,174 in 2018, and 5,733 in 2009.

For most offenders (71 per cent), this was their first crime of this kind.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has promised £5million to the Youth Endowment Fund to help tackle violence involving kids.

Justice Minister Chris Philp said: “This Government is doing everything in its power to make our streets safer and protect communities from the devastating effects of knife crime."

"We are recruiting 20,000 more police officers, making it easier to use stop and search and ensuring the most violent offenders spend longer behind bars.”

“But those caught carrying a knife should be under no illusion – more offenders are being sent straight to prison and for longer than at any point in the last decade.”

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