Knife crime falls as 1k ninja swords handed in

ROBBERIES involving a knife or the threat of one have reduced in most UK's high-risk areas, according to the Home Office data.

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Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the 6% overall annual reduction in knife-enabled robbery incidents is a direct result of targeted police action.

A dedicated police taskforce was set up in October last year focused on seven forces - Metropolitan Police Service, West Midlands, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Avon and Somerset and British Transport Police.

These areas had seen a steep rise in incidents between July 2023 and June 2024.

The West Midlands saw the largest drop, with a 25% reduction in incidents in the past year. Meanwhile, Greater Manchester saw a 4% increase in incidents in comparison to last year.