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Offensive Weapons

Answer

[holding answer 22 July 2008]: Information on (a) possessing a bladed article has not previously been available centrally. From April 2008, police forces have been using a new classification for possession of article with blade or point. Figures for 2008-09 are due to be published in July 2009. The (b) possession of offensive weapons can be recorded by the police in more than one offence category, so definitive figures cannot be given. Ministry of Justice collates figures for convictions of knife possession.Statistics on certain serious violent offences involving the use of a knife or sharp instrument have been collected since April 2007. Figures are available for 2007-08. These offences include (c) robbery, (d) wounding with intent to do GBH, (e) wounding or inflicting GBH (i.e. without intent) and (f) attempted murder. These figures are at the police force area level.Homicide data using a knife or sharp instrument are given in the following table. Figures are shown as per million population due to the low figures reported. The latest available figures are for 2006-07. Data for 2007-08 are scheduled for publication in January 2009.

Table 1: Sharp instrument offences per 100,000 population in each police force area for selected offences for 2007-08
Police force area	Attempted murder	Wounding with intent to do GBH	Wounding or inflicting GBH	Robbery of personal property
Avon and Somerset	0.19	5.45	1.73	14.61
Bedfordshire	0.68	11.34	2.37	33.69
Cambridgeshire	0.40	2.79	2.13	6.11
Cheshire	0.10	6.40	2.60	6.50
Cleveland	0.72	13.62	3.05	10.03
Cumbria	0.40	4.03	7.05	2.02
Derbyshire	0.20	4.95	2.83	8.48
Devon and Cornwall	0.30	7.70	2.73	4.73
Dorset	0.00	2.85	1.57	1.85
Durham	0.33	8.83	1.33	2.83
Dyfed-Powys	0.60	6.16	6.16	1.19
Essex	0.36	5.33	0.60	9.22
Gloucestershire	0.17	2.59	0.69	8.81
Greater Manchester	0.78	23.49	12.33	38.61
Gwent	0.18	14.11	1.43	5.72
Hampshire	0.38	4.81	5.90	8.31
Hertfordshire	0.76	4.35	3.31	10.58
Humberside	0.22	6.08	3.76	16.24
Kent	0.61	5.75	1.96	9.05
Lancashire	0.55	9.52	3.17	8.83
Leicestershire	0.52	10.28	2.60	15.47
Lincolnshire	0.00	4.23	1.31	3.21
Merseyside	0.22	23.05	3.84	17.51
Metropolitan Police and City of London¹	0.80	11.73	11.59	66.60
Norfolk	0.12	2.64	1.56	2.88
North Wales	0.15	8.29	3.70	3.85
North Yorkshire	0.13	2.68	0.51	3.57
Northamptonshire	0.45	12.40	1.49	15.09
Northumbria	0.07	10.02	4.58	7.23
Nottinghamshire	0.47	11.56	2.56	32.02
South Wales	0.00	27.14	3.75	14.43
South Yorkshire	0.46	8.59	3.33	13.61
Staffordshire	0.09	3.20	7.06	6.87
Suffolk	0.28	4.70	5.98	4.27
Surrey	0.55	2.30	1.66	3.32
Sussex	0,13	4.06	5.50	6.48
Thames Valley	0.42	2.92	1.39	8.33
Warwickshire	0.38	7.85	2.68	13.79
West Mercia	0.08	3.64	1.69	5.16
West Midlands	0.54	21.58	14.23	44.85
West Yorkshire	0.46	14.16	3.47	19.02
Wiltshire	0.94	6.77	2.68	8.18
England and Wales	0.43	9.77	5.18	21.46
¹ Metropolitan and City of London have been merged. The low resident population in the City of London means that per population rates are not useful for comparison purposes.

Table 2: Sharp instrument homicides recorded by the police in England and Wales: 1997-98—2006-07¹, per one million population
Police force area	1997-98	1998-99	1999-2000	2000-01	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07
Avon and Somerset	2.0	3.4	3.4	2.0	2.6	2.7	2.7	2.7	1.3	2.0
Bedfordshire	5.5	3.6	1.8	3.6	12.4	1.8	1.8	7.0	5.2	5.1
Cambridgeshire	1.4	1.4	5.6	²—	1.4	2.8	7.0	1.4	2.7	2.7
Cheshire	3.1	3.1	²—	²—	3.0	2.0	5.1	3.0	7.0	3.0
Cleveland	1.8	1.8	5.4	9.0	5.4	5.5	5.5	5.4	5.4	5.4
Cumbria	6.1	2.0	10.1	6.1	2.0	4.1	2.0	2.0	²—	²—
Derbyshire	2.1	1.0	2.1	1.0	4.1	2.1	3.1	2.0	2.0	3.1
Devon and Cornwall	5.2	3.9	0.6	3.2	3.8	1.3	1.9	6.2	3.1	3.1
Dorset	1.5	1.5	1.4	4.3	²—	4.3	8.6	²—	²—	2.8
Durham	4.9	3.3	²—	1.6	3.3	5.1	²—	3.4	5.0	8.3
Dyfed-Powys	²—	4.2	²—	2.1	²—	6.1	²—	²—	4.0	2.0
Essex	0.7	3.3	5.9	1.2	6.1	4.3	3.1	²—	3.7	5.5
Gloucestershire	1.8	1.8	5.4	²—	5.3	5.3	3.5	3.5	²—	3.5
Greater Manchester	6.2	5.4	3.9	5.4	8.9	7.7	6.8	5.9	4.3	4.7
Gwent	²—	1.8	1.8	3.6	3.6	3.6	²—	7.2	1.8	3.6
Hampshire	0.6	1.7	2.8	2.2	3.9	5.1	1.7	3.9	2.2	3.9
Hertfordshire	2.3	1.1	5.7	3.8	2.9	3.9	3.9	4.8	2.9	5.7
Humberside	2.3	2.3	2.3	2.3	3.4	5.8	9.2	3.4	1.1	7.9
Kent	4.5	1.9	5.1	2.5	6.3	3.8	2.5	2.5	4.3	3.7
Lancashire	4.2	1.4	0.7	10.5	2.8	7.1	8.4	7.7	0.7	2.8
Leicestershire	1.1	1.1	²—	4.3	2.1	4.3	9.6	3.2	3.2	5.2
Lincolnshire	²—	1.6	3.2	²—	1.6	3.1	3.0	²—	²—	4.4
Merseyside	5.6	7.8	4.3	9.3	2.1	8.8	7.3	10.3	7.3	7.3
Metropolitan Police and City of London³	8.2	6.8	8.8	9.5	9.2	9.5	8.3	8.4	7.5	9.2
Norfolk	²—	6.4	2.5	5.0	1.2	²—	3.7	1.2	1.2	3.6
North Wales	3.0	²—	3.0	1.5	3.0	6.0	²—	7.5	3.0	1.5
North Yorkshire	1.4	²—	1.3	²—	²—	²—	1.3	4.0	2.6	²—
Northamptonshire	3.3	3.3	1.6	4.8	4.8	7.9	1.6	²—	9.3	9.2
Northumbria	7.7	3.5	6.3	3.5	2.8	5.8	5.8	4.3	5.0	7.1
Nottinghamshire	2.9	5.8	4.8	3.9	5.8	3.0	5.9	5.8	6.8	6.7
South Wales	7.3	7.3	4.8	2.4	8.0	0.8	2.5	3.3	1.6	5.7
South Yorkshire	1.5	2.3	3.1	3.1	4.6	5.5	1.6	5.5	4.7	2.3
Staffordshire	3.8	3.8	1.9	²—	0.9	²—	2.9	2.9	1.9	4.7
Suffolk	²—	²—	²—	4.4	2.9	²—	3.0	2.9	4.4	2.S
Surrey	1.3	1.3	1.3	0.9	1.9	0.9	0.9	3.8	2.8	²—
Sussex	2.7	2.7	3.3	3.3	3.9	6.0	2.0	6.0	2.6	1.3
Thames Valley	3.4	3.4	3.8	1.4	4.2	6.2	1.4	2.8	3.3	2.8
Warwickshire	²—	4.0	2.0	²—	2.0	4.0	3.9	5.8	1.9	9.4
West Mercia	2.7	2.7	0.9	2.6	4.4	1.7	4.3	2.6	²—	2.5
West Midlands	1.5	6.1	5.7	3.4	7.3	6.7	8.5	8.1	8.5	5.8
West Yorkshire	5.7	5.7	3.3	3.8	5.2	6.3	3.4	6.2	5.2	4.7
Wiltshire	3.4	²—	1.7	²—	4.9	3.3	3.2	4.8	1.6	1.6
England and Wales	3.9	3.8	4.1	4.0	4.9	5.1	4.6	4.9	4.1	4.9
¹ Homicides currently recorded by the police, as at 12 November 2007, excluding cases where all suspects were acquitted or convicted of lesser offences by that date. The England and Wales totals are as published by the Home Office in January 2008 in ‘Homicides, Firearm Offences and Intimate Violence 2006-07’. Figures are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available. Figures for 2007-08 will be published in January 2009.
² No sharp instrument homicides for given year.
³ Metropolitan and City of London have been merged. The low resident population in the City of London means that per population rates are not useful for comparison purposes.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

221204; 479 c1576-80W

Session

2007-08

Subjects

Offensive weapons

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk