Fewer knife crime offences recorded in Thames Valley in past year

The figures revealed that 1,067 knife and sharp instrument offences were recorded in 2024 - down nine per cent from the 1,179 the year before.

It means there was a rate of 41 such offences per 100,000 people in the area last year, below the national average of 90 per 100,000 people.

Nationally knife crime offences increased across England and Wales in recent years, but they still remain below the levels seen before the coronavirus pandemic.

Forces in the two countries recorded 54,587 knife crime offences last year, up two per cent from 53,413 in 2023, and one per cent below the 55,170 recorded in the year up to March 2020.

Offences classed as possession of an article with a blade or point have significantly increased over the same period - with 28,150 recorded in 2024, 21 per cent higher than the 23,264 reported up to March 2020.

It was also nearly double the 14,450 offences recorded in 2016-2017.

Chief executive of the College of Policing Sir Andy Marsh said tackling this type of crime should be one of policing’s top priorities.

"Knife crime can destroy lives, fracture communities, and disproportionately blight the lives of the young and disadvantaged," said Sir Andy.

The College of Policing recently created a toolkit aimed at helping officers address knife crime and similar offences efficiently.

"Our toolkit will help officers, supervisors and senior leaders respond to knife crime, so they should be confident in tackling the problems in their community, knowing they are using interventions that work," he added.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "Knife crime has a devastating impact on families and communities across our country.

"Our mission to halve knife crime over a decade will be delivered through tougher enforcement and stronger prevention."

Among the Government measures to tackle the crime are enforcing Ronan’s Law to stop knives being sold illegally online, recruiting more police officers and developing a Young Futures programme to help identify and support vulnerable children before they are drawn into crime.