Knife Crime in England and Wales

By Grahame Allen, Megan Harding Knife Crime in England and 30 September 2021 Wales

Summary Background 1 Police recorded crime data 2 Crime Survey of England and Wales data 3 Proven offences and offenders 4 Hospital Data 5 Appendix

commonslibrary.parliament.uk Number CP4304 Knife Crime in England and Wales

Image Credits Loren Godefroy, ‘The dark side of the knife’, copyright: http://www.loren- godefroy.com

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Contents

Summary 4

Background 5

1 Police recorded crime data 6

1.1 Trends over time 6 1.2 Homicide 9 1.3 Knife crime by police force area 10 1.4 Knife crime in London 12

2 Crime Survey of England and Wales data 15

3 Proven offences and offenders 17

4 Hospital Data 22

5 Appendix 24

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Summary

Recorded crime

Increase in recorded In the year ending March 2021, there were around 41,000 (selected) offences level of knife crime involving a knife or sharp instrument in England and Wales (excluding Greater over 10 years (000s) Manchester Police Force). This was 15% lower than in 2019/20 and 27% higher 50 than in 2010/11. Recent trends in knife crime have been affected by 40 undercounting in the Greater Manchester Police Force area prior to 2018/19. 30 Increases in recorded offences since 2018/19 are directly related with improvements in recording practices. 20 10 - Homicide 2010/11 2020/21 In the year ending March 2021 there were 224 homicides (currently recorded) using a sharp instrument, including knives and broken bottles.

Highest/lowest rate Knife crime by police force area of offences involving a sharp instrument 20120/21 The West Midlands Police Force recorded the highest rate of 156 offences (per 100,000 population) involving a knife per 100,000 population in 2020/21, a 41% increase on a rate of 118 recorded in 2019/20. Durham had the lowest rate of 22 offences per 156 100,000 individuals (down from 26 in 2019/20).

22 Proven offences and offenders

West Mids Durham In the year ending March 2021, there were 18,553 disposals given for possession of a knife or offensive weapon. Juveniles (aged 10-17) were the offenders in 19% of cases.

Hospital episodes Hospital admissions since 1998/99 (000s) There were 4,091 finished consultant episodes (FCE) recorded in English 6 hospitals in 2020/21 due to assault by a sharp object. This was 14% lower 5 than in 2019/20 but 12% higher than in 2014/15. 4 3 2 1 0 1998/99 2020/21

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Background

“Knife” crime, a crime involving an object with a blade or sharp instrument, is a persistent concern and disproportionately impacts the young and disadvantaged. Various remedies have been tried over the years.

The Library Briefing Paper Knives and Offensive Weapons (SN00330) discusses the legislation which governs the carrying (possession) and sale of knives and other offensive weapons. To summarise the main possession offences: 1

• It is an offence under Section 1 of the Prevention of Crime Act 1953 for a person to have “with him in a public place any offensive weapon without lawful authority or reasonable excuse”. Section 1(4) of the 1953 Act defines "offensive weapon" as:

any article made or adapted for use for causing injury to the person or intended by the person having it with him for such use by him or by some other person.

• Under Section 139 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 it is an offence for a person to have “with him in a public place... any article which has a blade or is sharply pointed”, except a folding pocketknife with a cutting edge of three inches or less, without good reason or lawful authority. • Under Section 139A of the Criminal Justice Act 1988, it is an offence for a person to have an offensive weapon or a bladed or pointed article on school premises without good reason or lawful authority.

The above offences are all “either way” offences, meaning they can be tried in either the magistrates’ court or the Crown court depending on the seriousness of the offence.

The maximum sentence for each of these offences is up to six months’ imprisonment and/or a fine following summary conviction in the magistrates’ court, or up to four years’ imprisonment and/or a fine following conviction on indictment in the Crown Court. Mandatory minimum custodial sentences apply if an offender is aged 16 or over.

1 “Making threats” and sale/supply offences are also described in Knives and offensive weapons (SN00330)

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1 Police recorded crime data

With the exception of homicide offences, recorded crime statistics did not separately identify crimes involving knives until 2007/08. From April 2007 data on the number of offences involving the use of a knife or sharp instrument has been collected for a selection of serious violent offences- viewed as those most likely to involve the use of knives. This group of offences comprised: homicide, attempted murder; wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm (GBH); wounding or inflicting grievous bodily harm (i.e. without intent); robbery of business property and robbery of personal property. The offence coverage was extended from April 2008 to include other violent and sexual offences such as threats to kill, actual bodily harm (ABH), rape and sexual assaults. There was also a clarification in Counting Rules for GBH with intent. The ONS now publishes data from year ending March 2011, the earliest point for which comparable data are available. 2

20 police forces have been involved in a pilot scheme to implement a new cross-police force methodology for counting number of offences involving knives or sharp instruments via a tool called the National Data Quality Improvement Service (NDQIS).

An adjustment has been made to data prior to the year ending March 2020 for the police forces who are now using the NDQIS tool and the total for England and Wales. The pilot scheme has shown to improve data quality and comparability, leading to a national roll out of the new process. As more forces switch to the NQDIS tool, historical data for these forces and for England and Wales will continue to be updated. 3

1.1 Trends over time

Appendix table A1 shows the number and proportion of selected violent and sexual offences involving a knife or sharp instrument recorded by the police in England and Wales since 2010/11.

2 The Focus on violent crime and sexual offences publication includes data on offences involving a knife or sharp instrument going back to the year ending March 2009; This excludes data for West Midlands and Sussex, due to inconsistencies in their recording practices until March 2011 (source: ONS, Crime in England and Wales, Police Recorded Crime, 25 January 2018, footnote 4). 3 ONS, Police recorded offences involving knives or sharp instruments: methodology changes, 13 May 2021

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Important points to note

1. The ONS has suggested that some of the recent increases in police recorded crime in general are due to “recording improvements” amongst police forces. Care should be taken when comparing data on knife crime within the Greater Manchester Police Force Area. The ONS has stated that: A review identified undercounting of crimes involving a knife or sharp instrument [...] Data from December 2017 onwards have been revised. Previous data have not been revised and are likely to exclude relevant crimes. 2. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on patterns of crime. There has been a large decrease in the number of offences involving knives or sharp instruments during periods which coincide with national lockdowns and the highest level of restrictions.

Sources: ONS, Crime in England and Wales: year ending March 2019, 18 July 2019; ONS Crime in England and Wales: year ending March 2021, 22 July 2021

Excluding data from Greater Manchester (GMP), chart 1 (below) shows that the number of selected offences involving a knife or a sharp object fell between 2010/11 and 2013/14 before rising over the next six years. In the year ending March 2021 there were around 41,300 offences involving a sharp instrument. This was 15.3% lower than in 2019/20 and 27.4% higher than in 2010/11.

1. Selected offences involving a knife or sharp instrument Year ending March, England and Wales, excluding Greater Manchester (000's)

48.7 46.4 42.7 41.3

35.5 32.4 30.6 29.0 25.8 25.1 25.7

2010/11 2012/13 2014/15 2016/17 2018/19 2020/21

Source: ONS, Crime in England and Wales: Other related tables, Table F3a, 22 July 2021 and earlier editions.

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The main offences involving a knife or sharp instrument recorded in the year ending March 2021 were assault with injury and intent to cause serious harm (49.4%) and robbery (36%). Chart 2.1 shows that there were more offences committed in all categories except for robbery in 2020/21 compared to 2010/11. This data excludes Greater Manchester Police Force (GMP). Since 2010/11, the total number of selected offences involving a knife or sharp instrument has increased by 27% and the number of threats to kill using knifes or sharp objects has tripled (increasing by 252%).

2.1 Selected offences involving a knife or sharp instrument Percentage change by category, England and Wales 2010/11 – 2020/21

252%

128% 127% 109% 27% 47% 1% Robbery

Threats to Rape Sexual Attempted Assault Homicide -10% Total kill assault murder with injury selected and serious offences harm

Source: ONS, Crime in England and Wales: Other related tables, Table F3, 22 July 2021 and earlier editions.

Chart 2.2 provides information about changes in offences between 2019/20 and 2020/21. Over the period, the total number of offences involving a knife or sharp instrument decreased by 15%: robbery offences decreased the most (-31%) followed by sexual assault (-16%) and homicide (-6%). Threats to kill was the only offence category to record a substantial increase of 8% in the twelve months to March 2021. Attempted murder offences involving a knife or sharp instrument rose slightly by 0.2% compared to 2019/20. Care should be taken when comparing figures for rape and sexual assaults offences over time due to the relatively low number of these offences recorded.

2.2 Percentage change by offence category England and Wales, 2019/20-2020/21 (excluding GMP)

Assault with injury and intent Total to cause serious Sexual selected 8% 0% Rape harm Homicide assault Robbery offences

Threats to kill Attempted -5% -6% murder -3%

-16% -15%

-31%

Source: ONS, Crime in England and Wales: Other related tables, Table F3a, 22 July 2021 and earlier editions.

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1.2 Homicide

Sharp instrument homicide data has been collected by the Home Office since 1977 as part of the Homicide Index collection. The latest data for the year ending March 2021 suggest that there were 224 homicides involving a knife or sharp instrument. Chart 3 shows the total number of homicides and those committed using a sharp instrument in England and Wales (including Greater Manchester Police) in each year since 1977. Data used in this chart is given in appendix table A2.

3. Homicide offences by method of killing England and Wales

1,000 Using a sharp instrument

800 Other Homicides

600

400

200

0 1977 1987 1997 2006/07 2016/17

Source: 1977 to 1994 - Provided by Home Office; 1995 to 2007 – Home Office, Statistical Bulletin, Appendix table 2.03 and subsequent editions; 2007/08 onwards - ONS, Homicide in England and Wales: Appendix tables, Table 7A, 25 February 2021 and earlier editions

In 1977, there were 135 homicides using a sharp instrument including knives and broken bottles which accounted for 32.7% of all homicides. In 2020/21, there were 224 recorded homicides using a sharp instrument. The highest number of homicides using a sharp instrument recorded over the period between 1977 and 2020 was 275 in 2017/18 which accounted for 40.3% of all homicides. Over the last decade an average of 38% of homicides involved the use of a sharp instrument. Appendix table A3 provides the number of homicides by apparent method of killing and sex of victim up to 2019/20. The data shows that the most common method of homicide of both male and female victims was using a sharp instrument. In 2019/20, 44% of homicides with a male victim involved a knife or sharp instrument, compared to 27% of female victims.

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1.3 Knife crime by police force area

Appendix table A4a shows the number and rate per 100,000 population 4 of selected offences involving a knife or sharp instrument for each police force area since 2010/11. Chart 4 provides a visual comparison of knife crime rates in 2010/11 compared to 2020/21. Maps for selected years between 2010/11 and 2020/21 are available in the appendix (chart A5). In 2020/21, West Midlands Police recorded the highest rate of 156 offences per 100,000 population. In contrast, Durham Constabulary recorded the lowest rate of 22 offences per 100,000 population. Overall, urban forces tend to record higher levels of crime involving knives than more rural ones.

Between 2010/11 and 2020/21, Surrey experienced the largest percentage increase in selected knife and sharp instrument offences: from 6 per 100,000 population in 2010/11 to 42 in 2020/21 (+632%). Essex also saw a large percentage increase from 31 offences per 100,000 population in 2010/11 to 83 in 2020/21 (+168%). Sussex experienced an increase from 21 per 100,000 population in 2010/11 to 53 in 2020/21 (+159%). London recorded the largest decrease in offences per 100,000 from 152 in 2010/11 to 113 in 2020/21 (-26%). 5

Highest/lowest rate 2020/21 Highest proportional increase/ of offences involving a sharp instrument (per decrease 2010/11 - 2020/21 100,000 population) of offences involving a sharp instrument (per 100,000 population) 156

+632%

22 -26%

West Midlands Durham Surrey London

Source: ONS, Crime in England and Wales: Police Force Area Data Tables, Table P6, 22 July 2021 and earlier editions

4 Data includes House of Commons Library estimates based on Police Force Area populations from UK Crime Stats and CIPFA (Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy) 5 Figures for London include Metropolitan Police Service and City of London

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Source: ONS, Crime in England and Wales: Police Force Area Data Tables, Table P6, 22 July 2021 and earlier editions

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1.4 Knife crime in London

The number of crimes involving a knife or sharp instrument recorded by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) is available from its Crime statistics 2020/21 dashboard.

Chart 5 shows that the number of knife or sharp instrument crimes recorded by the MPS rose from 2010/11, reaching an initial peak of over 14,000 incidents in 2011/12. The number of recorded offences then decreased to roughly 9,700 in 2014/15 before rising to around 15,600 in 2019/20 – the highest level during this period. Knife crime with injury rose by 15% from roughly 4,100 offences in 2010/11 to 4,700 in 2017/18. It has since fallen to around 3,100 in 2020/21.

5. Offences involving a knife or sharp instrument By category, Metropolitan Police Service, (000s)

16 Knife Crime Knife Crime with Injury

0 2010/11 2012/13 2014/15 2016/17 2018/19 2020/21

Source: Metropolitan Police Service, Crime statistics 2020/21 Accessed: 20 July 2021; Data prior to 2017: London Assembly, Metropolitan Police Service - Recorded Crime, 20 July 2017 (no longer available)

Chart 6 shows that until 2019/20 the annual Sanction Detection Rate 6 (SDR) for crimes involving knives was consistently lower than the SDR average for all violence with injury offences, although this gap had narrowed over recent years. In 2020/21, the SDR for crimes involving knives (18%) was higher than the SDR rate of 16% for violence with injury (VWI) for the first time over this period. In the period between 2010/11 and 2020/21, SDR for knife related crimes was on average 7% points lower than VWI. The largest difference of 10.3% points was recorded in 2012/13 and 2013/14.

6 ‘Sanction Detection’ is the term used for police-generated detections as opposed to those resolved through administrative means. It is assumed that the accused receives a punishment or ‘sanction’ from the police. Sanction Detections include cases where an accused person is: charged, cautioned, summonsed, has offences taken in to consideration (TIC) or issued with a Fixed Penalty.

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6. Sanction detection rate by offence Total violence with injury, MPS 40% Violence with injury Knife crime

30%

20%

10%

0% 2010/11 2012/13 2014/15 2016/17 2018/19 2020/21

Source: Metropolitan Police Service, Crime statistics 2020/21, accessed 20 July 2021; Data prior to 2017: London Assembly, Metropolitan Police Service - Recorded Crime, 20 July 2017 (no longer available) Appendix table A4b shows the number of selected offences involving a knife or sharp instrument for each London Borough in 2019/20 and 2020/21. 7 The map below provides a visual comparison of knife crime levels in these years.

Knife crime 2020/21

London borough Offences Newham 551 Haringey 518 Southwark 516 Hackney 496 Enfield 471 Tower-Hamlets 469 Lewisham 466 Croydon 464 Lambeth 454 Islington 424 Westminster 423 Brent 416 Ealing 378 Wandsworth 344 Waltham Forest 342 Greenwich 330 Barking & Dagenham 314 Camden 314 Barnet 299 Source: Metropolitan Police Service, Crime statistics 2020/21, Accessed: 23 July 2021 Hounslow 278 Hammersmith 240 Redbridge 234 Hillingdon 217 Kensington 216 Pleases note that offences in London boroughs are reported as totals Bromley 203 rather than rates per population. Harrow 193 Merton 190 Havering 157 In 2020/21 the highest number of knife or sharp instrument offences in London Bexley 155 Sutton 129 was recorded in Newham – 551 compared to 765 in 2019/20. The highest Richmond 88 number of knife crime offences with injury in 2020/21 was recorded in the Kingston upon Thames 74 boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark (167 each). Total 10,363 Source: Metropolitan Police Service, The total number of offences involving knife crime decreased by roughly 35% Crime statistics 2020/21, Accessed: 23 July 2021 from 15,601 in 2019/20 to 10,363 in 2020/21.

7 Data includes House of Commons Library estimates based on Police Force Area populations from UK Crime Stats and CIPFA (Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy)

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Selected knife related offences in Westminster decreased from 1,134 in 2019/20 to 423 in 2020/21 (-63%). This was the highest proportional decrease over the period. The lowest proportional decrease of 7% was recorded in Waltham Forest (from 366 offences in 2019/20 to 342 in 2020/21).

Kingston upon Thames had the lowest rate of selected violent offences involving a knife. The number of incidents involving knives in this area decreased from 143 in 2019/20 to 74 in 2020/21.

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2 Crime Survey of England and Wales data

The Crime Survey of England and Wales (CSEW) measures the amount of crime experienced by adults aged over 16 living in private households. The survey, which is of personal experiences of crime and includes crimes which are not reported to the police, is seen as an important accompaniment to police records. Knives were the most common type of weapon used, accounting for 9% of all CSEW 2019/20 incidents of violence. This represents a four percentage point increase on the year before. Chart 8 shows the trend in the proportion of violent incidents in which a knife was used based on CSEW data. 8 Data from 2015/16 onwards is not comparable with previous years.

8. Violent incidents in which a knife was used, CSEW data

10%

0% 2003/4 2004/5 2005/6 2006/7 2007/8 2008/9 2011/12 2013/14 2014/15 2018/19 2019/20 2009/10 2010/11 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 Note: data from 2015/16 onwards includes screwdrivers and other stabbing implements and is not comparable with previous years. Source: ONS, Nature of crime tables, violence, Table 4, 3 September 2020 and earlier editions.

Appendix table A6 presents CSEW data on violent incidents in which a knife was used by various categories. Children and young people Since January 2009, the CSEW has asked children aged 10 to 15 living in private households in England and Wales about their experience of crime in the previous 12 months. In the year ending March 2018, 6.5% of 10-15 year olds knew someone who carried a knife, as did a similar percentage (5.7%) of 16-

8 In a release published in January 2018, the ONS stated that: “As offences involving the use of weapons are relatively low in volume, the CSEW is not able to provide reliable trends for such incidents.” ONS, Crime in England and Wales: Year Ending September 2017, 25 January 2018

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29 year olds. Less than 1% of respondents of both age groups indicated that they carried a knife. 9 Due to the small sample size, the ONS warns against making comparisons in the prevalence of knife-carrying using the CSEW. ONS are moving towards a three-year sample to improve the reliability of the estimates. These estimates have not yet been published.

9 ONS, The nature of violent crime: appendix tables, 7 February 2019, Table 9

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3 Proven offences and offenders

It is not possible to identify the level of violent crime prosecutions which involved the use of a knife as the individual circumstances of each offence are not collected centrally. Statistics are available relating to those offences which specify a knife or other offensive weapon in the statute and information has been published for the following possession offences:

• Having an article with a blade or a point in a public place; • Having an article with a blade or a point on school premises; • Possession of offensive weapons 10 without lawful authority or reasonable excuse; • Possession of offensive weapons without lawful authority or reasonable excuse on school premises.

Knife Crime Statistics Quarterly Brief provides routinely published data on knife and offensive weapon possession. Taken from the Police National Computer (PNC) the data is provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police. 11 The series shows the number of offences resulting in a caution or sentence. Although data is available from 2000 the published tables only go back to Q4 2007. This data is given in appendix table A7. Chart 9 below shows the quarterly trend since 2008. 9. Knife or offensive weapon possesions resulting in a caution or sentence England and Wales (thousand) 8

0 Q1 2009 Q1 2011 Q1 2013 Q1 2015 Q1 2017 Q1 2019 Q1 2021 Source: Ministry of Justice, Knife and offensive weapon sentencing statistics: Year ending March 2021, 19 August 2021, Table 1.

10 Offensive weapons include sharp instruments and other dangerous weapons (excluding firearms). 11 Police forces tend to record cautions more promptly on the PNC than court sentences. The latest caution figures are likely to be revised less than the sentencing figures.

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The quarterly number of proven possession offences fell from around 7,000 in Q1 2008 to 3,800 in Q1 2013. Since then, the number of proven offences increased to just under 5,800 in Q1 2019, before falling again over the next financial year to around 4,900 in Q1 2020. 12

Around 2,700 knife or offensive weapon possessions resulted in a caution or sentence in Q2 2020 – the lowest figure recorded over the period and a decrease of just over 50% on the figure recorded in Q2 2019. This low figure in Q2 2020 (marked by a light green bar on chart 9) was recorded during the first national COVID-19 lockdown. The number of possessions resulting in a caution or sentence returned to around 5,400 for the remaining two quarters of 2020 – a level similar to the previous three years. In Q1 2021, 4,992 knife or offensive weapon possessions were recorded which was 2% higher than the 4,914 in Q1 2020.

Chart 10 shows that since 2010 the proportion of offences resulting in a caution has fallen, while the proportion receiving a custodial sentence has increased.

10. Outcome of proven possession offences as proportion of total, England and Wales 50%

40%

30% Caution Immediate custody 20%

10%

0% Q1 Q1 Q1 Q1 Q1 Q1 Q1 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 2021

Source: Ministry of Justice, Knife and offensive weapon sentencing statistics: Year ending March 2021, 19 August 2021, Table 1

In response to the high prevalence of knife crime, a Court of Appeal judgement in May 2008 said that magistrates should normally sentence those convicted of a knife crime possession offence at the top end of the range. 13 The effect of this judgement can be seen in the increased use of custody since Q3 2008. The Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 introduced provision for a

12 Figures for the most recent four quarters are estimates based on historical data changes. More information can be found in the Technical guide to knife possession sentencing. 13 R v Povey [2008] EWCA Crim 1261)

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minimum custodial sentence (of six months for those aged 18 or over) for repeat offenders.

Between Q1 2010 and Q1 2018, the proportion of offenders receiving an immediate custodial sentence for possession of a knife or offensive weapon increased from 23% to 39%. This remained stable until falling in the latter half of 2020, and in Q1 2021, 27% of knife and offensive weapon possession offences resulting in immediate custodial sentences. This fall is due to the complications associated with the pandemic and a backlog of cases at the Crown Court which are still awaiting final decisions. 14

There was an increase in the proportion of proven offences resulting in a caution or immediate custody in Q2 2020. In this period, the proportion of offences resulting in a community sentence or suspended sentence was lower than in previous years, resulting in the spike visible in chart 10.

The latest data for year ending March 2021 suggest that there were 18,553 disposals given for possession of a knife or offensive weapon. 15 Of these:

• Juveniles (aged 10-17) were the offenders in 18% of cases • The juvenile custody rate was 7% and caution rate was 38% 16 • For adults the custody rate was 35% and caution rate was 8% • Juveniles received a community sentence in 51% of cases and adults 18%.

An alternative source of data for proven offences is the Ministry of Justice courts database which should be used when a longer time series is required. This source is not comparable with the data published in the Knife Crime Statistics Quarterly Brief as the court database is based on the number of offenders while the PNC data looks at the number of offences.

The number of people cautioned or convicted since 1991 for possessing a knife in a public place or on school premises in England and Wales is shown in the appended table A8.

Chart 11 shows that the proportion of proven offenders cautioned for possession of knife offences has been falling over the period. Since 2007, there has been a fall from 36% to 14% in 2020. This is likely linked to the Court of Appeal judgement of May 2008.

14 “This is due to changes during the pandemic, and a higher number of cases than for previous years which have been referred to the Crown Court for sentencing and are still awaiting final decisions. These are no longer accounted for using the estimation methodology and are currently included in the “other” disposal category.” Ministry of Justice, Knife and Offensive Weapons sentencing statistics: year ending March 2021, 19 August 2021. 15 Ministry of Justice, Knife and Offensive Weapons Sentencing statistics: year ending March 2021, 19 August 2021, Table 1. 16 Juveniles receive reprimands and warnings rather than cautions.

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11. Proven offenders cautioned and sentenced For possession of knife offences, England and Wales, year ending 31 December

40%

30%

% cautioned 20% % sentenced to custody 10%

0% 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020

Source: Ministry of Justice, Criminal Justice System statistics quarterly: December 2020, Outcomes by Offence data tool, 20 May 2021; Ministry of Justice, Knife and offensive weapon sentencing statistics: Year ending March 2021, 19 August 2021, Table 1

The proportion of proven offenders sentenced to custody notably increased in 1997, following the Offensive Weapons Act 1996, stabilising at around 10% until 2008 when it increased to 15%. The proportion sentenced to custody rose steadily every year between 2012 and 2019. In 2020, 32% of proven offenders were sentenced to custody, a slight decrease of one percentage point compared to 2019.

12. Average custodial Chart 12 indicates that the average custodial sentence length (ACSL) has sentence length (months) increased since 1995. There was a more marked increase from 2008. In 2015 for a possession of article with blade or point, England & Wales the ACSL exceeded 6 months for the first time, and in 2018 the ACSL exceeded 7 months for the first time. 8 7 6 13. Share of longer than one year custodial sentences 5 4 For possession of knife offences, England and Wales, year ending 31 December 3 20% 2 2008 1 0 15% 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 Source: Ministry of Justice, 10% Criminal Justice System statistics quarterly: December 2020, Outcomes by Offence 5% data tool, 20 May 2021 0% 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020

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Chart 13 shows that prior to 2008 around 2-5% of offenders were sentenced to custody of at least one year. Since 2008 more than 8% of offenders sentenced to custody have been sentenced to at least one year with the proportion increasing to just over 16% in 2018 and 2019. In 2020, 13.7% of custodial sentences for possession of knife offences were longer than one year.

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4 Hospital Data

Police and courts crime data is dependent on offences coming to the attention of the authorities, which is one of their main weaknesses. To get a more rounded view on knife crime it is useful to supplement this information with alternative sources such as NHS hospital data.

Information on the number of finished consultant episodes (FCE) in English hospitals related to assault by a sharp object (stab wounds) 17 is provided in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) publication. These figures are for admissions only and do not include those people who attended an Accident and Emergency department but were not subsequently admitted to hospital.

Finished consultant episode A finished consultant episode (FCE) is a continuous period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FCEs are counted against the year in which they end. Figures do not represent the number of different patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the same stay in hospital or in different stays in the same year.

14. Number of finished consultant episodes for assault by sharp object By sex and age group, England1

Of which Of which aged

Year Total Change Male Female Unknown Under 16 16-18 19+ Unknown

2010/11 4,647 4647 -0.9% 4,164 482 1 159 568 3,903 17 2011/12 4,490 4490 -3.4% 4,060 430 0 158 484 3,832 16 2012/13 3,888 3888 -13.4% 3,481 406 1 95 394 3,389 10 2013/14 3,730 3730 -4.1% 3,317 412 1 104 370 3,246 10 2014/15 3,643 3643 -2.3% 3,303 340 0 111 340 3,178 14 2015/16 4,119 4119 13.1% 3,767 351 1 149 432 3,521 17 2016/17 4,434 4434 7.6% 4,054 379 1 162 524 3,720 28 2017/18 5,053 5053 14.0% 4,665 385 3 163 650 4,173 67 2018/19 5,149 5149 1.9% 4,747 399 3 222 627 4,268 32 2019/20 4,757 4757 -7.6% 4,364 391 2 184 585 3,965 23 2020/21 4,091 4091 -14.0% 3,708 383 0 180 514 3,378 19

Notes: 1. Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector

Source: NHS Digital, Hospital Admitted Patient Care Activity, 2020-21: External causes tables, 16 September 2021

17 Clinical code X99 in ICD-10. This code includes cases where someone has been attacked using a sharp object of some kind (including but not exclusive to knives). Code “W26”—contact with a knife, sword or dagger - is used for such diagnoses as accidental knife injuries and excludes assault. Therefore code W26 has not been used here.

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There were 4,091 FCEs recorded in English hospitals in 2020/21 due to assault by a sharp object. This was a decrease of 14% compared to 2019/21, but 12% higher than in 2014/15 (the lowest number of admissions during this period). In 2020/21, of those admitted to hospital for assault by sharp object 17% were aged 18 or younger. Around 91% of people admitted to hospital for assault by sharp objects were male.

Full data from 1998/99 is given in appendix table A9. Numbers rose from 1998/99 until reaching a peak of 5,720 in 2006/07. Admissions subsequently decreased before rising again in recent years.

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5 Appendix

A1a: SELECTED OFFENCES INVOLVING A KNIFE OR SHARP INSTRUMENT Violent and sexual offences recorded by the police, England and Wales (excluding Greater Manchester Police)

Assault with Total selected injury and intent offences Time Attempted Threats to to cause serious Sexual including period murder kill harm Robbery Rape assault Homicide homicide

Year ending March 2010/11 217 1,318 13,822 16,483 240 85 221 32,386 2011/12 234 1,065 12,451 16,322 219 71 200 30,562 2012/13 180 1,063 11,098 13,027 174 81 182 25,805 2013/14 226 1,171 11,417 11,792 234 92 193 25,125 2014/15 261 1,509 12,940 10,449 288 122 178 25,747 2015/16 336 2,051 15,138 10,832 312 108 198 28,975 2016/17 339 2,658 18,188 13,520 403 171 202 35,481 2017/18 361 3,075 20,298 18,086 439 160 263 42,682 2018/19 409 3,612 21,316 20,081 524 158 251 46,351 2019/20 452 4,309 21,383 21,508 563 230 239 48,684 2020/21 453 4,635 20,366 14,841 547 193 224 41,259

% Change 2019-20 - 2020/21 0.2% 7.6% -4.8% -31.0% -2.8% -16.1% -6.3% -15.3% 2010/11- 2020/21 108.8% 251.7% 47.3% -10.0% 127.9% 127.1% 1.4% 27.4%

Proportion of selected offences involving a knife or sharp instrument

2010/11 0.7% 4.1% 42.7% 50.9% 0.7% 0.3% 0.7% 2011/12 0.8% 3.5% 40.7% 53.4% 0.7% 0.2% 0.7% 2012/13 0.7% 4.1% 43.0% 50.5% 0.7% 0.3% 0.7% 2013/14 0.9% 4.7% 45.4% 46.9% 0.9% 0.4% 0.8% 2014/15 1.0% 5.9% 50.3% 40.6% 1.1% 0.5% 0.7% 2015/16 1.2% 7.1% 52.2% 37.4% 1.1% 0.4% 0.7% 2016/17 1.0% 7.5% 51.3% 38.1% 1.1% 0.5% 0.6% 2017/18 0.8% 7.2% 47.6% 42.4% 1.0% 0.4% 0.6% 2018/19 0.9% 7.8% 46.0% 43.3% 1.1% 0.3% 0.5% 2019/20 0.9% 8.9% 43.9% 44.2% 1.2% 0.5% 0.5% 2020/21 1.1% 11.2% 49.4% 36.0% 1.3% 0.5% 0.5%

Notes: 1. Changes to offence codes in April 2012 mean the category of Assault with injury and assault with intent to cause serious harm is not directly comparable with previous years. 2. Police recorded crime statistics for offences involving a knife or sharp instrument based on data from 43 police forces in England and Wales. Data from Greater Manchester Police are excluded. A review of Greater Manchester Police data has identified undercounting of crimes involving a knife or sharp instrument. This occurred due to a technical issue with the identification and extraction of all relevant records of these offences from their crime recording system. GMP have changed the methodology they use to extract knife or sharp instrument offences and data from December 2017 onwards have been revised. However, data for earlier periods have not been revised and are likely to exclude relevant crimes that were recorded in GMP. Due to these changes, data for GMP have been excluded from the time series.

Source: ONS, Crime in England and Wales: Other related tables, Table F3a and F3b, 22 July 2021 and earlier editions

24 Commons Library Research Briefing, 30 September 2021 Knife Crime in England and Wales

A1b: SELECTED OFFENCES INVOLVING A KNIFE OR SHARP INSTRUMENT Violent and sexual offences recorded by the police, England and Wales (including Greater Manchester Police) Assault with Total selected injury and intent offences Time Attempted Threats to cause serious Sexual including period murder to kill harm Robbery Rape assault Homicide homicide

Year ending March 2010/11 240 1,428 14,634 17,544 258 93 237 34,434 2011/12 246 1,145 13,180 17,210 237 72 209 32,299 2012/13 198 1,147 11,741 13,845 190 88 195 27,404 2013/14 248 1,255 12,053 12,651 261 97 203 26,768 2014/15 276 1,663 13,746 11,184 324 129 186 27,508 2015/16 353 2,186 16,035 11,528 336 122 212 30,772 2016/17 365 2,769 18,922 14,250 432 184 214 37,136 2017/18 394 3,192 21,087 19,033 477 171 281 44,635

2018/19 439 3,852 22,484 21,722 593 170 260 49,520 2019/20 484 4,497 22,604 23,202 601 238 250 51,876 2020/21 472 4,894 21,731 16,174 573 204 238 44,286

% Change 2019/20 - 2020/21 -2.5% 8.8% -3.9% -30.3% -4.7% -14.3% -4.8% -14.6% 2010/11 - 2020/21 82.9% 169.7% 53.6% 23.8% 129.8% 82.8% 9.7% 29.6%

Proportion of selected offences involving a knife or sharp instrument

2010/11 0.7% 4.1% 42.5% 50.9% 0.7% 0.3% 0.7% 2011/12 0.8% 3.5% 40.8% 53.3% 0.7% 0.2% 0.6% 2012/13 0.7% 4.2% 42.8% 50.5% 0.7% 0.3% 0.7% 2013/14 0.9% 4.7% 45.0% 47.3% 1.0% 0.4% 0.8% 2014/15 1.0% 6.0% 50.0% 40.7% 1.2% 0.5% 0.7% 2015/16 1.1% 7.1% 52.1% 37.5% 1.1% 0.4% 0.7% 2016/17 1.0% 7.5% 51.0% 38.4% 1.2% 0.5% 0.6% 2017/18 0.9% 7.2% 47.2% 42.6% 1.1% 0.4% 0.6% 2018/19 0.9% 7.8% 45.4% 43.9% 1.2% 0.3% 0.5% 2019/20 0.9% 8.7% 43.6% 44.7% 1.2% 0.5% 0.5% 2020/21 1.1% 11.1% 49.1% 36.5% 1.3% 0.5% 0.5%

Source: Source: ONS, Crime in England and Wales: Other related tables, Table F3a and F3b, 22 July 2021 and earlier editions

25 Commons Library Research Briefing, 30 September 2021 Knife Crime in England and Wales

A2: OFFENCES RECORDED AS HOMICIDE BY APPARENT METHOD OF KILLING1 England and Wales Hitting, Sharp Blunt kicking Strangu- Poison or Motor Not instrument2 instument3 etc lation4 Shooting5 Explosion Burning Drowning drugs vehicle6 Other known Total 1977 135 63 78 68 28 0 14 7 6 6 6 2 413 1978 163 58 88 75 35 2 9 11 12 4 10 0 467 1979 195 69 80 102 49 1 15 14 12 3 8 0 548 1980 151 68 85 91 17 0 80 14 9 12 8 0 535

1981 178 54 82 87 31 3 22 4 15 12 12 0 500 1982 191 68 71 108 46 11 29 7 11 8 5 2 557 1983 150 68 69 103 39 6 19 8 8 3 7 2 482 1984 187 76 73 90 61 6 13 5 6 4 13 3 537 1985 180 65 81 105 44 1 19 11 12 1 13 4 536

1986 220 66 69 113 47 0 22 6 1 7 11 1 563 1987 200 80 85 93 78 1 17 5 11 11 15 3 599 1988 189 48 110 99 42 2 20 6 9 8 12 2 547 1989 182 63 80 88 38 11 29 11 4 7 7 1 521 1990 178 74 94 81 59 2 28 4 9 12 7 7 555

1991 217 62 116 94 50 1 33 8 19 13 8 2 623 1992 218 50 117 79 52 4 21 14 11 9 4 2 581 1993 182 66 97 89 71 3 14 6 9 9 14 5 565 1994 231 55 94 104 63 0 39 13 17 5 4 7 632 1995 243 78 105 83 66 1 33 3 16 6 19 9 662

1996 197 68 81 77 47 2 24 9 28 2 45 6 586 1997 200 71 99 64 58 1 29 7 17 12 37 14 609 1997/98 202 68 103 62 52 1 28 6 17 13 38 19 609 1998/99 201 65 88 76 46 2 32 6 47 13 43 23 642 1999/00 212 70 97 56 61 4 11 6 53 11 40 51 672 2000/01 213 77 102 146 71 2 17 9 34 16 63 14 764 2001/02 261 60 145 78 96 1 29 13 31 19 35 25 793 2002/03 263 48 148 66 77 2 22 6 200 21 48 41 942 2003/04 242 75 136 67 67 0 28 24 20 21 35 57 772 2004/05 262 67 125 66 73 2 34 12 28 22 43 46 779

2005/06 226 59 112 58 50 53 26 4 28 12 22 58 708 2006/07 272 51 128 56 58 0 29 9 19 6 36 46 710 2007/08 268 67 161 57 53 0 26 5 19 12 37 24 729 2008/09 256 59 149 45 39 2 21 4 17 10 26 11 639 2009/10 210 49 126 53 41 0 21 3 15 18 33 26 595 2010/11 237 61 117 61 61 0 21 6 20 7 25 17 633 2011/12 208 51 89 60 40 1 17 4 8 5 25 17 525 2012/13 195 49 106 41 29 2 26 7 8 6 39 34 542 2013/14 203 37 104 53 29 1 17 4 14 9 30 18 519 2014/15 186 41 92 52 20 0 9 3 25 8 41 27 504 2015/16 212 45 99 48 24 0 13 6 17 8 39 30 541 2016/17 216 49 112 134 32 2 7 5 15 22 49 33 676 2017/18 281 37 103 52 27 34 11 4 21 17 66 45 698 2018/19 260 37 104 55 32 0 11 5 14 11 67 52 648 2019/20 275 49 115 78 30 0 13 4 13 23 43 52 695

Notes: (1) Data taken from live database and are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available. Offences are shown according to the year in which police initially recorded the offence as homicide. This is not necessarily the year in which the incident took place or the year in which any court decision was made. (2) Includes knives and other sharp instruments. (3) Includes firearms used as blunt instruments. (4) Includes asphyxiation and smothering. (5) Includes shooting by crossbow. Excludes offences where firearm used as blunt instrument. (6) Excludes death by careless/dangerous driving and aggravated vehicle taking. Source: 1977 to 1994 - Provided by Home Office official, From 1995 to 2007 - Home Office, Statistical Bulletin, Appendix tables - focus on violent crime and sexual offences, Table 2.03, February 2017 and earlier editions;. 2007/08 onwards – ONS, Homicide in England and Wales: Appendix tables, Table 7A, 25 February 2021 and earlier editions.

26 Commons Library Research Briefing, 30 September 2021 Knife Crime in England and Wales

A3: OFFENCES CURRENTLY RECORDED AS HOMICIDE BY APPARENT METHOD OF KILLING1,2 England and Wales, 2010/11-2019/20

2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 Male victims Sharp instrument 154 143 137 135 116 152 165 218 199 223 Blunt instrument 38 36 34 21 26 27 31 27 24 30 Hitting, kicking, etc. 107 79 94 81 81 78 93 89 77 95 Strangulation, asphyxiatio 21 15 15 19 17 15 100 15 15 47 6 Shooting 52 33 20 21 16 21 27 23 28 24 Explosion10 0 1 2 1 0 0 2 13 0 0 Burning 8 9 15 9 8 8 5 5 6 6 Drowning 4 4 6 4 3 3 2 2 2 3 Poison or drugs 12 3 8 10 14 15 12 9 5 10 Motor vehicle11 7 5 4 9 8 8 17 11 9 20 Other 21 18 25 16 22 24 29 47 31 26 Not known 8 8 15 10 8 17 19 20 26 22 Total 432 354 375 336 319 368 502 479 422 506 % involving a sharp instrument 35.8% 40.4% 36.5% 40.2% 36.4% 41.3% 32.9% 45.5% 47.2% 44.1% Female victims Sharp instrument 82 65 58 68 70 60 51 63 61 51 Blunt instrument 23 15 15 16 15 18 18 10 13 19 Hitting, kicking, etc. 11 9 12 23 11 21 19 14 27 20 Strangulation, asphyxiatio 40 45 26 34 35 33 34 37 40 31 Shooting9 8 7 9 8 4 3 5 4 4 6 Explosion10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 21 0 0 Burning 13 8 11 8 1 5 2 6 5 7 Drowning 2 0 1 0 0 3 3 2 3 1 Poison or drugs 8 5 0 4 11 2 3 12 9 3 Motor vehicle11 0 0 2 0 0 0 5 6 2 3 Other 4 7 14 14 19 15 20 19 36 17 Not known 9 9 19 8 18 12 14 25 25 30 Total 200 170 167 183 184 172 174 219 225 188 % involving a sharp instrument 41.0% 38.2% 34.7% 37.2% 38.0% 34.9% 29.3% 28.8% 27.1% 27.1%

All victims Sharp instrument 237 208 195 203 186 212 216 281 260 275 Blunt instrument 61 51 49 37 41 45 49 37 37 49 Hitting, kicking, etc. 117 89 106 104 92 99 112 103 104 115 Strangulation, asphyxiatio 61 60 41 53 52 48 134 52 55 78 Shooting9 61 40 29 29 20 24 32 27 32 30 Explosion10 0 1 2 1 0 0 2 34 0 0 Burning 21 17 26 17 9 13 7 11 11 13 Drowning 6 4 7 4 3 6 5 4 5 4 Poison or drugs 20 8 8 14 25 17 15 21 14 13 Motor vehicle11 7 5 6 9 8 8 22 17 11 23 Other 25 25 39 30 41 39 49 66 67 43 Not known 17 17 34 18 27 30 33 45 52 52 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 Total 633 525 542 519 504 541 676 698 648 695 % involving a sharp instrument 37.4% 39.6% 36.0% 39.1% 36.9% 39.2% 32.0% 40.3% 40.1% 39.6%

Notes: (1) As at 15 December 2020; figures are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and the courts, or as further information becomes available. (2) Home Office statisticians and Police Forces have undertaken a review of all historical homicide data to update court outcomes and suspect data, this means totals shown in this table will not match previously published figures, as included in Table 2. (3), (4), (5), (6), (7) Years ending March 2012, March 2015, March 2016 and March 2019, March 2020 each include 1 victim with unknown gender. (8) Year ending March 2017 includes 96 victims of Hillsborough. (9) These figures may not agree with those in the weapons tables because (a) figures include cases where the firearm was used as a blunt instrument and (b) homicide figures include shooting by crossbows and are compiled at a later date and take into account the results of police and court decisions. (10) Year ending March 2018 includes 22 victims of the Manchester Arena bombing. (11) Excluding death by careless/dangerous driving and aggravated vehicle taking.

Source: ONS, Homicide in England and Wales: Appendix Tables, Table 7A, 25 February 2021

27 Commons Library Research Briefing, 30 September 2021 Knife Crime in England and Wales

A4a: KNIFE OR SHARP INSTRUMENT OFFENCES RECORDED BY THE POLICE FOR SELECTED OFFENCES1,2,3 year ending March, England and Wales

2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14

Offences per Offences per Offences per Offences per 100,000 100,000 100,000 100,000 Number population Number population Number population Number population Cleveland 297 53 275 49 270 48 277 49 Durham 159 26 157 25 140 23 130 21 Northumbria 393 28 375 26 316 22 352 25 North East 849 33 807 31 726 28 759 29

Cheshire 266 26 234 23 205 20 242 23 Cumbria 128 26 90 18 93 19 101 20 Greater Manchester4 2,048 76 1,737 64 1,599 59 1,643 60 Lancashire 674 46 672 46 588 40 645 44 Merseyside 606 44 622 45 587 42 670 48 North West, including GMP 3,722 53 3,355 47 3,072 43 3,301 46 North West, Less GMP 1,674 38 1,618 37 1,473 34 1,658 38

Humberside 504 55 508 55 510 55 431 47 North Yorkshire 182 23 178 22 102 13 140 17 South Yorkshire 852 63 871 64 837 62 973 71 West Yorkshire 1,412 63 1,215 54 1,184 53 1,231 54 Yorkshire and the Humber 2,950 56 2,772 52 2,633 49 2,775 52

Derbyshire 358 35 239 23 287 28 344 33 Leicestershire 430 42 444 43 462 45 434 42 Lincolnshire 214 30 178 25 211 29 192 26 Northamptonshire 367 53 445 64 319 45 355 50 Nottinghamshire 631 58 608 55 580 52 664 59 East Midlands 2,000 44 1,914 42 1,859 40 1,989 43

Staffordshire 367 33 327 30 357 32 411 37 Warwickshire 165 30 157 29 124 23 77 14 West Mercia 427 35 368 30 313 25 267 21 West Midlands 4,369 159 3,250 118 2,183 78 2,402 86 West Midlands Region 5,328 95 4,102 73 2,977 52 3,157 55

Bedfordshire 397 64 390 62 285 45 257 40 Cambridgeshire 361 45 295 36 315 39 273 33 Essex 536 31 342 20 462 26 531 30 Hertfordshire 272 24 254 22 180 16 229 20 Norfolk 156 18 97 11 77 9 85 10 Suffolk 179 25 194 26 180 24 177 24 East of England 1,901 32 1,572 27 1,499 25 1,552 26

City of London 15 - 14 - 9 - 14 - Metropolitan Police 12,486 152 13,260 160 10,618 126 9,382 110 London 12,501 152 13,274 160 10,627 126 9,396 110

Hampshire 451 24 406 21 365 19 324 17 Kent 346 20 370 21 436 25 501 28 Surrey5 65 6 34 3 27 2 43 4 Sussex 331 21 337 21 312 19 247 15 Thames Valley 1,165 51 996 43 823 36 718 31 South East 2,358 27 2,143 25 1,963 22 1,833 21

Avon and Somerset 801 50 705 44 677 42 528 32 Devon and Cornwall 594 36 519 31 298 18 454 27 Dorset 173 23 155 21 148 20 150 20 Gloucestershire 187 31 190 32 149 25 146 24 Wiltshire 147 21 121 18 102 15 117 17 South West 1,902 36 1,690 32 1,374 26 1,395 26

Dyfed-Powys 79 15 37 7 58 11 40 8 Gwent 120 21 68 12 47 8 54 9 North Wales 141 20 125 18 101 15 100 14 South Wales 360 28 355 28 375 29 345 27 WALES 700 23 585 19 581 19 539 17

British Transport Police 223 - 85 - 93 - 72 -

ENGLAND AND WALES, including GMP 6 34,434 61 32,299 57 27,404 48 26,768 47 6 ENGLAND AND WALES, less GMP 32,386 61 0 30,562 57 0 25,805 48 0 25,125 46 0

Notes: (1) Other offences exist that are not shown in this table that may include the use of a knife or sharp instrument. (2) Data in the table include 20 forces (Avon and Somerset, Cambridgeshire, Cleveland, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Devon and Cornwall, Dyfed-Powys, Greater Manchester, Humberside, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Merseyside, Metropolitan, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, South Wales, South Yorkshire, Sussex, West Midlands and West Yorkshire Police) who supplied data based on a new methodology (the National Data Quality Improvement Service) for identifying whether an offence included a knife or sharp instrument or not. These forces also supplied data on revised coverage and guidance for the collection. Previous data for these forces (excluding GMP) have been amended. Further forces will be moving to the new methodology in future releases. Further details can be found in a Methodological Report. (3) Forces who have made notable revisions to their data are: Avon and Somerset, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk - data for recent years are not comparable prior to the year ending March 2018; Northumbria and Surrey - data for recent years are not comparable prior to the year ending March 2017; Thames Valley - data for recent years are not comparable pior to the year ending March 2016; Sussex - data for recent years are not comparable prior to the year ending March 2015. (4) Greater Manchester police reviewed their recording of knife or sharp instrument offences in December 2017. This revealed that they were under-counting these offences. Following this review, there has been a sharp increase in the number of knife or sharp instrument offences recorded by GMP in January to December 2018 compared with previous quarters. Previous data have not been revised and the data are therefore not comparable. (5) Data from Surrey Police, unlike other police forces, include unbroken bottle and glass offences. As such, this data is not directly comparable to data for other forces; however, it is not thought that offences of this kind constitute a large enough number to impact on the national figure. (6) Includes British Transport Police. (7) Calcuated using mid-2019 population estimates from ONS Source: ONS, Crime in England and Wales Police Force Area data tables, Table P6, 22 July 2021

28 Commons Library Research Briefing, 30 September 2021 Knife Crime in England and Wales

A4a: KNIFE OR SHARP INSTRUMENT OFFENCES RECORDED BY THE POLICE FOR SELECTED OFFENCES1,2,3 year ending March, England and Wales

2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18

Offences per Offences per Offences per Offences per 100,000 100,000 100,000 100,000 Number population Number population Number population Number population Cleveland 393 70 471 83 502 89 620 109 Durham 119 19 161 26 175 28 264 42 Northumbria 430 30 529 37 529 37 812 56 North East 942 36 1,161 44 1,206 46 1,696 64

Cheshire 212 20 247 24 275 26 378 36 Cumbria 91 18 116 23 118 24 143 29 Greater Manchester4 1,761 64 1,797 65 1,655 59 1,953 69 Lancashire 598 40 626 42 816 55 867 58 Merseyside 670 48 716 51 797 56 948 67 North West, including GMP 3,332 46 3,502 48 3,661 50 4,289 59 North West, Less GMP 1,571 36 1,705 38 2,006 45 2,336 52

Humberside 525 57 666 72 588 63 783 84 North Yorkshire 174 22 217 27 214 26 229 28 South Yorkshire 954 69 1,031 74 1,500 108 1,772 126 West Yorkshire 1,317 58 1,580 69 2,023 88 2,600 112 Yorkshire and the Humber 2,970 55 3,494 64 4,325 79 5,384 98

Derbyshire 297 29 347 33 395 38 484 46 Leicestershire 404 38 389 36 490 45 712 65 Lincolnshire 213 29 261 35 228 30 287 38 Northamptonshire 344 48 387 53 469 63 505 68 Nottinghamshire 623 55 665 59 839 73 942 82 East Midlands 1,881 40 2,049 43 2,421 51 2,930 61

Staffordshire 450 40 515 46 600 53 739 65 Warwickshire 138 25 170 30 215 38 254 44 West Mercia 324 26 444 35 470 37 453 35 West Midlands 2,255 80 2,956 103 3,457 119 4,116 141 West Midlands Region 3,167 55 4,085 70 4,742 81 5,562 94

Bedfordshire 294 45 314 47 477 72 497 74 Cambridgeshire 389 46 468 56 499 59 665 78 Essex 638 36 788 44 992 54 670 37 Hertfordshire 338 29 420 36 574 49 533 45 Norfolk 91 10 146 16 318 35 528 58 Suffolk 163 22 209 28 245 32 614 81 East of England 1,913 31 2,345 38 3,105 50 3,507 57

City of London 4 - 14 - 17 - 26 - Metropolitan Police 9,016 104 9,072 104 11,213 127 13,708 154 London 9,020 104 9,086 104 11,230 137 13,734 154

Hampshire 463 24 586 30 655 33 868 44 Kent 525 29 565 31 675 37 793 43 Surrey5 83 7 64 5 294 25 436 37 Sussex 515 31 606 36 680 44 775 45 Thames Valley 378 16 816 34 1,076 45 1,335 55 South East 1,964 22 2,637 29 3,380 38 4,207 46

Avon and Somerset 575 35 673 40 709 42 769 45 Devon and Cornwall 481 28 435 25 647 37 602 34 Dorset 155 20 162 21 245 32 210 27 Gloucestershire 188 30 185 30 251 40 265 42 Wiltshire 134 19 165 23 258 36 267 37 South West 1,533 28 1,620 29 2,110 38 2,113 38

Dyfed-Powys 57 11 70 14 113 22 129 25 Gwent 124 21 76 13 92 16 112 19 North Wales 151 22 175 25 236 34 257 37 South Wales 368 28 378 29 439 33 574 43 WALES 700 23 699 22 880 28 1072 34

British Transport Police 86 - 94 - 76 - 141 -

ENGLAND AND WALES, including GMP 6 27,508 48 30,772 47 37,136 63 44,635 77 6 ENGLAND AND WALES, less GMP 25,747 47 28,975 46 35,481 63 0 42,682 77

29 Commons Library Research Briefing, 30 September 2021 Knife Crime in England and Wales

A4a: KNIFE OR SHARP INSTRUMENT OFFENCES RECORDED BY THE POLICE FOR SELECTED OFFENCES1,2,3 year ending March, England and Wales

Change per 100,000, 2010/11 - 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2020/21

Offences per Offences per Offences per 100,000 100,000 100,000 Number population Number population Number population7 Actual change % change Cleveland 601 106 708 125 692 122 +68 128.2% Durham 196 31 165 26 138 22 -4 -15.7% Northumbria 942 64 794 55 857 59 +31 111.6% North East 1,739 65 1,667 63 1,687 63 +30 92.7%

Cheshire 374 35 401 38 265 25 -1 -3.9% Cumbria 162 32 203 41 186 37 +12 45.3% Greater Manchester4 3,169 112 3,192 113 3,027 107 +30 40.0% Lancashire 1,151 76 1,137 76 1,020 68 +21 46.6% Merseyside 1,399 98 1,424 100 1,228 86 +42 95.7% North West, including GMP 6,255 85 6,353 87 5,726 78 +25 47.9% North West, Less GMP 3,086 68 3,165 71 2,699 60 +21 55.5%

Humberside 897 96 873 94 714 77 +22 39.4% North Yorkshire 300 36 331 40 343 41 +19 81.7% South Yorkshire 1,754 124 1,619 115 1,319 94 +30 47.6% West Yorkshire 2,807 120 2,529 109 2,200 94 +31 48.8% Yorkshire and the Humber 5,758 105 5,352 98 4,576 83 +27 48.8%

Derbyshire 653 62 854 81 728 69 +34 95.6% Leicestershire 942 86 853 78 797 72 +30 71.6% Lincolnshire 328 43 424 56 371 49 +19 62.8% Northamptonshire 602 80 717 96 724 96 +43 81.8% Nottinghamshire 1,016 88 891 77 755 65 +7 12.4% East Midlands 3,541 73 3,739 78 3,375 70 +26 58.8%

Staffordshire 673 59 598 53 599 53 +19 57.8% Warwickshire 272 47 347 61 280 48 +18 60.5% West Mercia 534 41 733 57 629 49 +14 39.6% West Midlands 4,951 169 5,020 172 4,562 156 -4 -2.3% West Midlands Region 6,430 108 6,698 114 6,070 102 +7 7.4%

Bedfordshire 590 87 648 97 584 87 +22 34.5% Cambridgeshire 470 55 711 83 681 80 +35 77.8% Essex 750 41 1,121 61 1,536 83 +52 168.3% Hertfordshire 550 46 732 62 614 52 +27 112.5% Norfolk 396 44 444 49 432 48 +29 162.2% Suffolk 348 46 323 43 308 40 +16 65.0% East of England 3,104 50 3,979 64 4,155 67 +35 106.6%

City of London 60 - 31 - 19 - - - Metropolitan Police 13,819 154 14,685 165 10,131 113 -39 -25.8% London 13,879 155 14,716 165 10,150 113 -39 -25.8%

Hampshire 813 41 758 38 676 34 +10 43.1% Kent 955 51 729 39 573 31 +11 54.1% Surrey5 464 39 454 38 501 42 +36 631.6% Sussex 923 54 1,154 68 912 53 +33 159.0% Thames Valley 1,503 62 1,589 66 1,408 58 +7 13.6% South East 4,658 51 4,684 51 4,070 49 +22 79.8%

Avon and Somerset 1,227 71 1,330 78 1,154 67 +17 34.2% Devon and Cornwall 662 37 776 44 685 39 +3 8.7% Dorset 250 32 273 35 306 40 +16 70.4% Gloucestershire 297 47 320 51 306 48 +17 53.7% Wiltshire 286 40 288 40 289 40 +19 86.2% South West 2,722 48 2,987 53 2,740 49 +13 36.6%

Dyfed-Powys 149 29 174 34 145 28 +13 81.8% Gwent 141 24 220 37 237 40 +19 91.8% North Wales 268 38 277 40 268 38 +18 87.0% South Wales 679 51 806 61 811 61 +32 115.8% WALES 1237 39 1477 47 1461 61 +38 167.0%

British Transport Police 197 - 224 - 276 - +53 23.8%

ENGLAND AND WALES, including GMP 6 49,520 83 51,876 88 44,286 75 +14 22.3% 6 ENGLAND AND WALES, less GMP 46,351 82 48,684 86 41,259 73 +12 19.8%

30 Commons Library Research Briefing, 30 September 2021 Knife Crime in England and Wales

A4b. KNIFE CRIME BY LONDON BOROUGH

2019/20 2020/21 % Change in total 2019/20 -

London borough Total With Injury Total With Injury 2020/21

Newham 765 184 551 145 -28% Haringey 1,020 176 518 131 -49% Southwark 748 169 516 167 -31% Hackney 757 190 496 128 -34%

Enfield 786 163 471 114 -40% Tower Hamlets 629 167 469 132 -25% Lewisham 565 166 466 134 -18% Croydon 555 176 464 183 -16% Lambeth 602 203 454 167 -25% Islington 555 112 424 92 -24% Westminster 1,134 152 423 99 -63%

Brent 587 139 416 150 -29% Ealing 502 146 378 124 -25%

Wandsworth 390 91 344 99 -12% Waltham Forest 366 118 342 104 -7% Greenwich 446 140 330 119 -26% Camden 605 131 314 84 -48% Barking & Dagenham 423 104 314 105 -26% Barnet 545 113 299 85 -45% Hounslow 380 131 278 84 -27%

Hammersmith & Fulham 414 111 240 76 -42% Redbridge 380 118 234 68 -38% Hillingdon 375 108 217 72 -42% Kensington & Chelsea 434 107 216 57 -50% Bromley 260 64 203 61 -22% Harrow 249 65 193 42 -22% Merton 218 59 190 70 -13%

Havering 234 61 157 46 -33% Bexley 219 49 155 55 -29% Sutton 150 36 129 54 -14% Richmond upon Thames 164 36 88 30 -46% Kingston upon Thames 143 46 74 23 -48%

Total 15,600 3,831 10,363 3,100 -34%

Notes: Excludes Heathrow Airport which recorded 1 offence in 2019/20

Source: Metropolitan Police, Crime Statistics 2020/21, accessed 20 July 2021

31 Commons Library Research Briefing, 30 September 2021 Knife Crime in England and Wales

Source: ONS, Crime in England and Wales Police Force Area data tables, Table P6, 22 July 2021

32 Commons Library Research Briefing, 30 September 2021 Knife Crime in England and Wales

A6: VIOLENT INCIDENTS IN WHICH A KNIFE WAS USED, CSEW DATA1 Percentage of all incidents, England and Wales

Victim-offender relationship Type of violence Common All Domestic Stranger Acquaintance Mugging Wounding Robbery Assault violence 1995 7% 4% 7% 25% 9% 29% 5% 8% 1997 4% 4% 3% 14% 5% 17% 3% 5% 1999 4% 3% 4% 15% 9% 18% 2% 5% 2001/2 7% 5% 5% 15% 10% 18% 4% 7% 2002/3 5% 7% 8% 15% 6% 19% 8% 8% 2003/4 2% 3% 7% 8% 4% 10% 4% 5% 2004/5 7% 4% 7% 7% 5% 10% 6% 6% 2005/6 6% 6% 6% 11% 6% 13% 6% 7% 2006/72 5% 5% 7% 16% 7% 20% 9% 7% 2007/8 6% 4% 6% 12% 8% 15% 7% 6% 2008/9 3% 6% 7% 12% 8% 17% 10% 8% 2009/10 4% 3% 3% 12% 3% 15% 3% 5% 2010/11 4% 4% 3% 19% 1% 24% 8% 6% 2011/12 5% 3% 6% 14% 3% 19% 9% 7% 2013/14 4% 3% 10% * 4 3% * 4 12% 6% 4 4 2014/15 3% 8% 10% * 7% * 12% 7% 2015/16 3 13% 3% 4% * 4 6% * 4 8% 6% 2016/17 6% 8% 4% * 4 4% * 4 13% 7% 2017/18 5% 9% 3% * 4 6% * 4 10% 6%

Notes: 1. Most recent data is for 2017/18 due to chages to the survey in the most recent release of the data which does not include victim- offender relationship and type of violence related to knife crime offences. 2. From 2006/07 Common Assault figure is sum of 'Assault with minor injury' and 'Assault with no injury'. 3. Data from 2015/16 onwards includes screwdrivers and other stabbing implements and is not comparable with previous years. 3. Data not reported for this category.

Source: ONS, Nature of crime tables, violence, Table 4, 3 September 2020 and earlier editions

33 Commons Library Research Briefing, 30 September 2021 Knife Crime in England and Wales

A7: OFFENCES INVOLVING THE POSSESSION OF A KNIFE OR OFFENSIVE WEAPON Resulting in a caution or sentence by age group, England and Wales1

Disposal Category3 Absolute / Aged 18 and Conditional Community Suspended Immediate Other Total1,2 Aged 10 to 17 over Caution4 discharge Fine sentence sentence custody disposal 5

Q1 2010 5,291 1,001 4,290 1,097 221 222 1,641 698 1,227 185 Q2 2010 5,335 1,132 4,203 1,212 235 206 1,644 661 1,159 218 Q3 2010 5,588 1,063 4,525 1,205 234 226 1,788 645 1,294 196 Q4 2010 5,110 913 4,196 1,036 203 241 1,578 627 1,202 223

Q1 2011 5,239 993 4,241 1,092 217 215 1,636 594 1,274 211 Q2 2011 5,146 979 4,166 1,156 184 227 1,551 566 1,275 187 Q3 2011 5,439 918 4,520 1,048 212 245 1,653 674 1,404 203 Q4 2011 4,768 846 3,920 861 158 197 1,381 576 1,391 204

Q1 2012 4,806 843 3,963 919 171 205 1,404 617 1,297 193 Q2 2012 4,270 734 3,535 914 135 189 1,164 522 1,175 171 Q3 2012 4,452 700 3,752 865 174 190 1,206 571 1,244 201 Q4 2012 3,976 666 3,309 771 115 151 1,113 541 1,119 166

6 Q1 2013 3,830 627 3,184 688 138 177 1,028 579 1,073 147 Q2 2013 4,060 647 3,368 700 116 189 1,121 621 1,136 177 Q3 2013 4,369 664 3,646 774 153 191 1,146 663 1,260 182 Q4 2013 4,002 644 3,288 592 130 202 1,103 635 1,146 194

Q1 2014 4,000 650 3,267 559 156 163 1,152 636 1,176 158 Q2 2014 3,974 701 3,165 628 124 202 1,042 613 1,196 169 Q3 2014 4,247 750 3,383 635 131 191 1,121 702 1,277 190 Q4 2014 4,089 739 3,223 621 107 197 1,082 743 1,174 165

Q1 2015 4,134 734 3,270 534 138 185 1,056 753 1,270 198 Q2 2015 4,309 839 3,339 635 112 193 1,083 744 1,319 223 Q3 2015 4,561 915 3,492 624 127 183 1,220 859 1,333 215 Q4 2015 4,471 797 3,474 605 133 169 1,033 838 1,481 212

Q1 2016 4,669 923 3,539 601 108 151 1,172 878 1,593 166 Q2 2016 4,963 1,017 3,746 684 114 188 1,150 897 1,693 237 Q3 2016 4,982 898 3,870 597 103 176 1,144 1,003 1,756 203 Q4 2016 4,688 987 3,504 653 107 171 1,052 889 1,621 195

Q1 2017 5,244 1,129 3,901 607 106 185 1,272 1,020 1,822 232 Q2 2017 5,295 1,157 3,884 667 65 182 1,221 975 1,944 241 Q3 2017 5,390 1,046 4,074 547 87 174 1,231 1,066 2,062 223 Q4 2017 5,212 1,015 3,920 611 76 188 1,164 993 1,972 208

Q1 2018 5,303 1,118 3,936 633 88 159 1,215 901 2,054 253 Q2 2018 5,442 1,164 4,055 654 84 180 1,376 930 1,972 246 Q3 2018 5,652 1,057 4,358 601 71 118 1,313 1,087 2,181 281 Q4 2018 5,251 969 4,055 561 50 111 1,212 988 2,064 265

Q1 2019 5,823 1,160 4,451 678 66 112 1,286 1,144 2,295 242 Q2 2019 5,728 1,229 4,259 751 64 117 1,351 1,051 2,124 270 Q3 2019 5,671 1,097 4,315 672 73 117 1,247 1,166 2,144 252 Q4 2019 5,202 956 4,037 578 70 114 1,243 1,055 1,932 210

Q1 2020 4,914 993 3,706 635 64 98 1,118 1,068 1,717 214 Q2 2020 2,766 522 2,122 618 19 24 387 419 1,167 132 Q3 2020 5,390 976 4,198 602 78 122 1,449 1,236 1,664 239 Q4 2020 5,405 985 4,226 601 87 128 1,395 1,367 1,509 318

Q1 2021 4,992 919 3,903 582 82 119 1,257 1,204 1,336 412

Notes: 1. Includes all 43 police force areas in England and Wales and the British Transport Police. 2. Total includes cases where there is no age recorded on the system, therefore total may not be equal to the sum of the adult / juvenile breakdown. 3. The disposal given in this table is only the most severe of the disposals given as a result of the offender being found guilty and may also be dependent on other offences committed at the same time. 4. Cautions include juveniles receiving reprimands and warnings or youth cautions. Youth cautions were introduced on April 8th 2013 replacing reprimands and warnings for young offenders. 5. Includes cases where an offender is committed to crown court for sentencing and is otherwise dealt with on conviction. 6. On 3rd December 2012 offences involving threatening with a knife or offensive weapon in a public place or in a school premises were introduced and are included in the figures from this point on. Source: Ministry of Justice, Knife and offensive weapon sentencing statistics: Year ending March 2021, 19 August 2021, Table 1 and Table 2a.

34 Commons Library Research Briefing, 30 September 2021 Knife Crime in England and Wales

A8. NUMBER OF DEFENDANTS PROCEEDED / SENTENCED FOR A POSSESSION OF A KNIFE1 proceeded against at magistrates' courts, found guilty and sentenced at all courts2, 3, 4

Immediate custody Length of immediate custodial sentence Over 6 Over 1 year Over 18 Average custodial Proceeded Total % of total proven Up to 3 Over 3 months months up 1 year up to 18 months up Over three sentence length Cautions against Found guilty sentenced(5) Number offenders(6) months up to 6 months to 1 year exactly months to 3 years years (month) 1991 704 2,397 1,737 1,729 5 0.2% 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 4.3 1992 1,055 2,640 1,848 1,847 1 0.0% 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 1993 1,282 2,553 1,852 1,853 1 0.0% 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 1994 1,292 3,366 2,502 2,501 4 0.1% 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 - 1995 1,512 3,474 2,559 2,558 5 0.1% 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 1.7

1996 1,302 3,605 2,665 2,666 62 1.6% 52 9 0 0 1 0 0 2.5 1997 1,629 4,489 3,360 3,360 375 7.5% 305 59 1 4 6 0 0 2.4 1998 1,976 4,888 3,805 3,804 550 9.5% 429 99 11 7 2 2 0 2.6 1999 1,663 4,566 3,548 3,564 536 10.3% 411 110 8 3 4 0 0 2.6 2000 1,758 4,673 3,555 3,562 506 9.5% 362 131 5 6 1 1 0 2.8

2001 1,652 5,823 4,361 4,364 592 9.8% 419 158 9 1 4 1 0 2.7 2002 1,805 6,963 5,338 5,326 773 10.8% 548 188 23 6 7 1 0 2.9 2003 1,746 6,928 5,396 5,399 761 10.7% 530 193 20 10 5 3 0 3.0 2004 2,374 7,352 5,890 5,908 815 9.8% 553 227 26 4 5 0 0 3.0 2005 3,154 7,319 6,005 6,002 970 10.6% 604 306 33 17 9 1 0 3.2

2006 3,503 7,699 6,369 6,334 1,075 10.9% 603 308 137 15 9 3 0 3.4 2007 3,460 7,404 6,169 6,166 1,065 11.1% 623 265 124 34 12 7 0 3.6 2008 2,589 7,547 6,368 6,453 1,377 15.2% 664 342 254 51 37 26 3 4.7 2009 1,641 9,242 7,652 7,684 1,675 18.0% 827 370 312 87 54 23 2 4.7 2010 1,715 8,079 6,540 6,475 1,413 17.8% 692 308 283 66 38 25 1 4.8

2011 1,670 7,878 6,398 6,407 1,585 19.6% 778 291 334 80 69 32 1 5.1 2012 1,538 6,692 5,349 5,302 1,327 19.4% 640 253 288 57 60 27 2 5.1 2013 1,230 6,846 5,476 5,439 1,389 20.8% 624 229 341 86 74 34 1 5.6 2014 1,151 7,026 5,733 5,703 1,480 21.6% 661 223 381 85 79 51 0 5.8 2015 1,155 7,402 6,278 6,267 1,727 23.3% 622 315 522 128 84 54 2 6.1

2016 1,268 7,952 6,969 6,994 2,267 27.4% 529 486 926 132 122 72 0 6.5 2017 1,286 8,938 7,820 7,876 2,666 29.1% 592 589 1,131 154 121 76 3 6.5 2018 1,304 9,542 8,382 8,423 3,079 31.7% 434 852 1,298 178 201 113 3 7.1 2019 1,497 9,822 9,030 9,339 3,593 33.2% 446 986 1,571 201 281 106 2 7.1 2020 1,343 8,133 7,561 8,207 3,097 32.4% 420 918 1,333 147 208 67 1 6.7

Notes: 1. Includes: Having an article with blade or point in public place. (Criminal Justice Act 1988 S.139 as amended by Offensive Weapons Act 1996 S.3); Having an article with blade or point on school premises. (Criminal Justice Act 1988 S.139A (1)(5)(a) as added by Offensive Weapons Act 1996 S.4(1)). 2. The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. 3. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 4. Excludes convictions data for Cardiff magistrates' court for April, July, and August 2008. 5. In some years the numbers sentenced may exceed the number found guilty as it may be the case that the conviction occurred in the preceding year to the offender being sentenced. 6. Proven offenders comprise offenders cautioned or sentenced Source: Ministry of Justice, Knife and offensive weapon sentencing statistics: Year ending December 2020, 19 August 2021, Table 1a; Ministry of Justice, Criminal Justice System statistics quarterly: December 2020, Outcomes by Offence data tool, 20 May 2021

35 30 September 2021 Knife Crime in England and Wales

A9. NUMBER OF FINISHED CONSULTANT EPISODES1 FOR ASSAULT BY SHARP OBJECT2 By sex, admission method and age group, England3 Of which Of which aged

Year Total Change Male Female Unknown Under 16 16-18 19+ Unknown 1998/99 3,667 3,667 --- 3,279 387 1 88 355 3,206 18 1999/00 4,125 4,125 12.5% 3,683 438 4 118 437 3,549 21 2000/01 4,249 4,249 3.0% 3,831 417 1 130 444 3,662 13 2001/02 4,642 4,642 9.2% 4,176 448 18 132 508 3,973 29 2002/03 4,275 4,275 -7.9% 3,847 426 2 95 429 3,745 6 2003/04 4,774 4,774 11.7% 4,313 461 0 110 529 4,125 10 2004/05 5,072 5,072 6.2% 4,590 479 3 143 553 4,374 2 2005/06 5,496 5,496 8.4% 4,943 550 3 169 668 4,655 4 2006/07 5,720 5,720 4.1% 5,176 542 2 179 752 4,786 3 2007/08 5,239 5,239 -8.4% 4,755 480 4 184 736 4,311 8 2008/09 4,914 4,914 -6.2% 4,360 554 0 155 569 4,183 7 2009/10 4,689 4,689 -4.6% 4,202 486 1 164 554 3,955 16 2010/11 4,647 4,647 -0.9% 4,164 482 1 159 568 3,903 17 2011/12 4,490 4,490 -3.4% 4,060 430 0 158 484 3,832 16 2012/13 3,888 3,888 -13.4% 3,481 406 1 95 394 3,389 10 2013/14 3,730 3,730 -4.1% 3,317 412 1 104 370 3,246 10 2014/15 3,643 3,643 -2.3% 3,303 340 0 111 340 3,178 14 2015/16 4,119 4,119 13.1% 3,767 351 1 149 432 3,521 17 2016/17 4,434 4,434 7.6% 4,054 379 1 162 524 3,720 28 2017/18 5,053 5,053 14.0% 4,665 385 3 163 650 4,173 67 2018/19 5,149 5149 1.9% 4,747 399 3 222 627 4,268 32 2019/20 4,757 4757 -7.6% 4,364 391 2 184 585 3,965 23 2020/21 4,091 4091 -14.0% 3,708 383 0 180 514 3,378 19

Notes: 1. A finished consultant episode (FCE) is a continuous period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FCEs are counted against the year in which they end. Figures do not represent the number of different patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the same stay in hospital or in different stays in the same year. 2 - ICD code -10 - X99 3 - Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector

Source: NHS Digital, Hospital Admitted Patient Care Activity, 2020-21: External causes tables, 16 September 2021 and earlier editions

36 Commons Library Research Briefing, 30 September 2021

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