Murder rate in England and Wales highest since 2008
One in five people in England and Wales experienced a crime in the year before June 2018, according to British police statistics
The murder and manslaughter rate in England and Wales has risen to the highest in a decade, official figures show.
There were 719 murders or manslaughters – in the year to June, a 14 per cent increase from 630 the previous year excluding exceptional incidents in 2017 such as terrorist attacks in London and Manchester, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. It was the highest number since 775 murders were recorded in the year before March 2008.
There were 39,332 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument, up 12 per cent on the previous year, according to police data. The figure excludes data from Greater Manchester after a review identified undercounting of crimes involving knives or sharp instruments due to a technical issue.
There were also jumps in the numbers of recorded robberies up 22 per cent, sexual offences up 18 per cent, vehicle-related theft up 7 per cent and burglaries up 2 per cent.
Total police-recorded crime rose by 9 per cent as forces in England and Wales registered a total of 5.6 million offences in the year to June, the ONS said.
