The latest government statistics provide the following interesting insights into the continuing prevalence of knife crime in England and Wales:
- The year-end figure for all knife offences shows a 2% decrease in offending, although this still represents an increase of 17% compared to a decade earlier.
- ‘Possession of an article with a blade or point’ constituted 71% of all knife and offensive weapon sentencing offences.
- ‘Possession of an offensive weapon’ offences accounted for 28% of total offences in the year ending September 2023. This comprised of 5,361 offences, which represents the lowest number of ‘possession of an offensive weapon’ offences over the last 10 years.
- ‘Threatening with a knife or offensive weapon’ offences accounted for 1% of total offences in the latest year. The number of ‘threatening with a knife or offensive weapon’ offences has seen a decrease of 66% compared to the previous year, but an increase of 59% since the offence was introduced in the year ending September 2013.
- Offenders receiving an immediate custodial sentence dropped by 1.7% points. This could reflect the current crisis in our prisons, with judges being told to avoid custody if at all possible. In total, some 31% of offenders received an immediate custodial sentence.
- Average sentence length is currently 7.8 months, up from 7.5 months a year earlier. By way of comparison in 2017 the average sentence length was 7.2 months.
- 92% of all repeat offenders pleaded guilty. This is a 14% increase compared to the year ending September 2022 and a 7% increase since the year ending September 2017.
- The proportion of repeat offenders pleading guilty and receiving immediate custody in the year ending September 2023 was 61%. This represented a 7% increase on the previous year.
- First-time knife offenders represented 69% of offenders charged. This is at its lowest figure in a decade. Over the latest year a total of 4,400 repeat possession occasions were sentenced under Section 315 of the Sentencing Act 2020, with 4,127 repeat adult possession occasions and 273 repeat 16 to 17-year-old possession occasions.
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We have over 30 years of experience of criminal defence work. We ensure that we stay up to date with changes in legislation and case law so that we can give our clients the best possible advice. If you would like to discuss any aspect of your case, please contact Tarsem Salhan on 0121 605 6000 or at tsalhan@salhan.co.uk.