Knife crime soars by 51 per cent in Suffolk, ONS figures reveal

Knife crime in Suffolk has risen by 51 per cent - the highest increase in England and Wales, according to latest Home Office statistics.

The figures collated by the Office for National Statistics show that knife and sharp instrument offences increased from 146 in April 2017 to March 2018 to 221 from April 2018 to March 2019.

Overall crime recorded in Suffolk grew by three per cent to 54,475 compared to eight per cent in England and Wales at 5.2 million.

Robberies in the county also saw a big rise of 32 per cent to 477 against an 11 per cent increase nationally.

The number of burglaries in Suffolk fell by 12 per cent to 3,817 compared to a three per cent drop in England and Wales to 422,870.

However, the number of sexual offences in Suffolk increased by 15 per cent to 2,331 with a seven per cent rise in England and Wales to 162,030.