More than 22,000 people were caught with knives or dangerous weapons in the last year - the highest level since 2010, according to official figures.
In the 12 months to the end of June, 22,306 offences were formally dealt with by the criminal justice system in England and Wales, up from 21,314 on the same period the previous year, figures from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) show.
This is the highest number on record since 2010 when 22,689 offences were dealt with.
But it is not the highest level ever recorded as a year earlier, in the same period in 2009, the figure was 27,225.
