2009 press releases

160% increase in serious knife crime in Sussex - Norman Baker

Lewes MP Norman Baker has reacted with shock today after figures released in the Crime in England and Wales Annual Report showed that the number of serious offences involving knives increased from 274 to 708 in Sussex in the past year.

This means that there has been a staggering 158% increase in the total number of serious offences involving a knife in Sussex in the past year.

This rate of increase is far higher than the national average. In total, there were 36,562 such offences throughout England in 2008/09, an increase of 53% on the previous year.

The 708 serious offences recorded in 2008/09 included 490 cases of Actual and Grievous Bodily Harm involving a knife, and 190 cases of robbery involving a knife. In 2007/08, there were 126 cases of robbery involving a knife in Sussex, meaning that there has been more than a 50% increase in this type of offence in the past year.

Norman Baker commented:

"These shocking figures illustrate that while overall crime may have decreased in Sussex, there is an increasing threat from serious knife crime.

"There are around 13 cases a week where someone is subjected to a serious crime involving a knife somewhere in Sussex. That is simply far too many, and illustrates just how serious a problem knife culture has become.

"We need real action to combat knife crime, and that means more police on our streets. These figures clearly show that those who carry knives are not being deterred by Labour and the Tories' meaningless posturing on sentencing.

Notes:

1. The Crime in England and Wales Annual Report 2008/09 can be viewed at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/hosb1109vol1.pdf (1181kb). Figures for knife crime in Sussex can be viewed on page 180 of 195.
2. The Crime in England and Wales Annual Report 2007/08 can be viewed at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs08/hosb0708.pdf (1741kb). Figures for knife crime in Sussex can be viewed on page 103 of 238.
3. The government has changed its definition of 'serious offences involving a knife' for the 2008/09 report. In the 2007/08 report, it included attempted murder, wounding with intent to do GBH, wounding or inflicting GBH without intent, and robbery. This year, the relevant categories are attempted murder, threats to kill, ABH and GBH, robbery, rape and sexual assaults.

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