Iran Press /Europe: Results of a study conducted by the Guardian newspaper published on Thursday showed the last few years in particular have seen a surge in deaths related to knife crime among teenagers or children, adding that this year has been one of the worst with 37 fatalities recorded so far in England and Wales.
The report said one of the worst years on record was 2007 in which 48 children and young people under the age of 19 were stabbed to death in England and Wales, Iran Press reported.
Stabbings in London are at their highest level in six years, ONS figures show.
Deadly stabbings are occurring every three days in the British capital amid fears of resurgence of the so-called “postal code wars” between rival gangs in London.
Overall, there were about 40,000 recorded knife offences and 7,000 recorded gun crimes across the UK in 2017.
Photo by BBC
While campaigners have continually highlighted the growing problem of knife crime, concerns have now grown over government cuts to vital police services which many say have contributed to the surge.
The West Midlands region which includes areas such as Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Walsall have recorded some of the highest youth rates of knife crime violence in almost 40 years with a general increase of 18% in 2018 compared with the previous year.
With cuts to public services like police and community officers set to worsen after Brexit, concerns that the problem will continue to spiral out of control are held throughout the communities most affected.
The data compiled by the Guardian indicated that some 1063 children and teenagers have been killed as a result of knife crime in England and Wales since 1977.
A total of 29 people have been killed using knives so far in 2018, which started with the murder of four young men during New Year’s Eve celebrations, according to figures by the Office of National Statistics.
Groups that campaign against knife crime fear the death toll “will get worse before it gets better.” 101/201
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