Knife crimes now account for almost one in 20 of all offences committed in Nottinghamshire, new figures have revealed.
Official Government statistics show overall crime is stable in the city at county – with a zero percentage change in the 12 months to March 31 compared to the year before.
But certain types of violent crime have risen significantly.
There were increases in offences where a weapon was used – up by 27 per cent to 735.
And 580 offences, around four per cent, of all crimes in Nottinghamshire involved knives.
However there were some falls in other crimes with burglary of homes down 17 per cent and robbery has fallen by ten per cent.
Violence rose by ten per cent to 17,822 – meaning there are nearly fifty crimes such as common assault or GBH every day.
The figures follow a spate of six serious stabbings in the city – one of them fatal – in the space of five weeks between June 1 and July 5.
In other crimes bike theft is down nine per cent and sex crimes have risen ten per cent.
The Nottinghamshire trend is in contrast to the national picture – crime in England an Wales rose by nine per cent during the same 12 months.
Chief Constable Sue Fish said: “We have a dedicated knife crime team in place and have made our stop and search policy and practice more effective and accountable, enabling us to detect weapon possession and to prevent further offences, but also working hard to improve engagement with our local communities.
“Our zero tolerance approach to all sexual offences means that anyone who reports such a crime knows that we will investigate their case and provide the appropriate support to them all the way through the criminal justice process. The increase in reporting reflects that continuing confidence in our policing and the determination of victims that they should be heard.”
Notts Police and Crime Commissioner Paddy Tipping said: “This is official verification that Nottinghamshire is a safer place to live and work. Recorded crime here did not increase in the last year, compared to a nine per cent increase nationally.
“I appreciate that recorded crime doesn’t tell the whole story and we have to take issues such as fraud and cyber-crime into account, but this is definitely good news.”
