Violent crime up by 24% in England and Wales

Violent crime in England and Wales has jumped by a quarter, according to new figures.

For the year ending in June, police forces recorded a rise of 24% in violence compared to the previous year.

Some 30,000 offences involved the use of knives or other sharp instruments (up 9%), while 5,244 involved firearms (up 7%), according to the Office for National Statistics.

Officials said the leap was not so much a result of rising violence but a consequence of improved recording practices and greater willingness of some victims to come forward.

But they did find a "genuine increase" in some crimes.

"The latest figures present a complex picture, with the Crime Survey for England and Wales estimating similar levels of violent crime to that seen in recent years, but the number of offences recorded by the police increasing," said John Flatley of the ONS.

"We think the rise in the police figures is due to a combination of factors.

"First, the expansion of the police series to cover new harassment offences. Second, a greater proportion of incidents reported to the police being recorded as crimes.

"At the same time, the crime survey has shown a greater proportion of victims of violent crime reporting to the police.

"Finally, it appears there has been a small but genuine increase in some categories of violent crime."

Estimates from the Crime Survey for England and Wales put the overall number of crimes at 6.4 million - not significantly different to the previous year's estimate of 6.5 million.

The number of homicides stood at 681 but included for the first time the 96 cases of manslaughter which resulted from events in Hillsborough in 1989, after an inquest was concluded.

Excluding these victims, the latest statistics showed a 3% rise compared to the previous year.