Homicide Rate In UK Increased By 14% In Year To September 2018 - Official Statistics

The number of homicides recorded by police in England and Wales increased by 14 percent from 649 to 739 in the year to September 2018 and this continues an upward trend in homicides since March 2014, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed on Thursday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th January, 2019) The number of homicides recorded by police in England and Wales increased by 14 percent from 649 to 739 in the year to September 2018 and this continues an upward trend in homicides since March 2014, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed on Thursday.

According to the ONS, this is the highest level since 2008.

At least 36 percent of these cases involved attacks with knives or sharp instruments, a rise of 11 percent compared to the same period of the previous year.

At the same time, the ONS found out that the number of such crimes as computer misuse and burglary decreased.

"In recent decades we've seen the overall level of crime falling, but in the last year, it remained level.

There are variations within this overall figure, depending on the type of crime. Burglary, shoplifting and computer misuse are decreasing but others, such as vehicle offences and robbery are rising. We have also seen increases in some types of "lower-volume, high-harm" violence including offences involving knives or sharp instruments," Helen Ross from the ONS Center for Crime and Justice said.

The number of police-recorded offenses involving knives or sharp instruments increased by 8 percent and amounted to 39,818 offenses that is the highest figure since 2011, according to ONS.

The statistics also revealed that sexual offenses increased 14 percent to 158,162 in the given period including a 16-percent rise in rapes to 56,698.