Knife crime offences recorded by police in England and Wales have hit a new record high.
The figures relating to the year ending June 2019 show a rise of 7 percent from the previous 12 months, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Police-recorded offences involving a knife or sharp instrument rose to 44,076.
This excludes Greater Manchester Police because the force's data is not comparable due to reporting issues.
The total number of homicides recorded by the police fell by 5 percent in the last year, from 719 to 681 offences.
There has also been a 14 percent decrease in homicides where a knife or sharp instrument was involved to 248 offences, mainly driven by a drop in such incidents in London, the ONS said.
Joe Traynor, from the ONS Centre for Crime and Justice, said: "While overall levels of violence have remained steady, the number of offences involving a knife has continued to increase across England and Wales.
"However, the number of homicides where a knife or sharp instrument was involved decreased, driven by falls in London.
"There is a mixed picture in the total number of knife crime offences across police forces with the Metropolitan Police recording little change in the last year."
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