Knife crime is down in Greater Manchester - but there's more work to do

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Knife crime has fallen by 16 per cent in Greater Manchester despite rising across England and Wales - but mayor Andy Burnham says there is more work to do be done to tackle it.

The city-region still has one of the highest levels of knife crime in the country. Between June 2022 and July 2023, there were 3,012 knife or sharp instrument offences recorded in Greater Manchester which is 16 per cent less than the year before.

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police saw a 21 per cent rise in incidents during that period in London. It comes after the Manchester Evening News reported on 17 serious stabbing incidents in just two months at the start of 2023.

Earlier this month, GMP revealed that more than 300 people have been arrested with 90 weapons taken off the streets as part of Operation Venture which has seen specialist officers deployed to violent crime hotspots across the city-region since late autumn last year. READ MORE: Today's top Manchester Evening News stories READ MORE: A 'devastating' and 'excruciating' crime is on the rise in Greater Manchester - and campaigners are worried This week, the Office for National Statistics released figures showing that 'possession of article with a blade or point' offences recorded by police forces across England and Wales were 10 per cent higher in the year ending June 2023, compared to the year before.