Knife crime offences rise and shoplifting reaches 20-year high in latest police figures

Knife crime offences have risen by 4 per cent since last year, with a “notable increase” in the number of robberies involving a bladed weapon.

Police forces across England and Wales recorded 50,510 offences between 2023-24, compared to 48,409 in the previous year, according to Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures.

While crimes involving possession of an article with a blade dropped a slight 3 per cent, robberies involving knives rose by 13 per cent following “substantial increases in recent years”.

The release of the figures follow the death of another teenager this week in London after a 15-year-old boy stabbed to death in Hackney.

Murders involving a knife stood at 233 in the year to March 2024, up very slightly on the 226 in the previous year, but again lower than pre-pandemic figures (253 in 2019-20).

Meanwhile, the number of shoplifting offences recorded by police in England and Wales has risen to a new 20-year high.

A total of 443,995 offences were logged by forces in the year to March 2024, up 30 per cent on the 342,428 recorded in the previous 12 months.

The figure is the highest since current records began in the year to March 2003, according to the ONS, which described the latest increases as notable.

Shoplifting levels had already reached a 20-year high earlier this year, with the latest figures showing the number of offences recorded has now risen even higher.

The data published on Wednesday comes in the wake of major retailers raising concerns about the rising cost of theft, and as the Labour government vowed to tackle low-level shoplifting and make assaulting a shop worker a specific criminal offence.

The move to create a separate offence follows a long-running campaign from business owners and Conservative backbencher Matt Vickers during rising violence against retail workers.

Retailers have said they hope the measures set out last week in the King’s Speech to parliament will make it easier for police to investigate and prosecute criminals.

Home secretary Yvette Cooper blamed the figures on “the disgraceful dereliction of the last Tory government on law and order” as she promised changes under Labour.

She said: “We can’t carry on like this. This Labour government will put neighbourhood police back on the beat in our town centres, with stronger laws on knife crime, shoplifting and assaults on shop workers to keep our communities safe.

“Labour has set an unprecedented mission to halve serious violence in 10 years and to restore confidence in policing and the criminal justice system. We will be a government of law and order that puts the safety and security of our communities at its heart.”

ONS spokesperson Meghan Elkin said: “There has been no change across many crime types in the last year. However, we have seen falls in fraud, while there have been increases in computer misuse and some forms of theft, such as shoplifting and theft from the person. Notably, shoplifting has continued to see increases and remains at its highest level in 20 years.

“In addition, robbery, offences involving knives or sharp instruments, and offences involving firearms have also increased over the last year while remaining below pre-coronavirus pandemic levels.”