More knife attacks in London than Germany

LONDON is at the epicentre of a knife-crime epidemic, suffering more attacks than the whole of Germany.

- By Lucy Johnston SOCIAL AFFAIRS EDITOR

And a harrowing documentary lays bare the shocking scale of the crisis facing Britain.

Figures show an escalating number of stabbings involving machetes, kitchen knives and swords in England and Wales.

Offences soared from 26,500 in 2013-14 to 50,500 in 2023-24 — a 90% rise — the equivalent to 150 stabbings a day.

Hospital admissions for attacks with sharp objects have also risen by 7% during the same period, with 3,900 last year.

A growing number involved children — the number of under-18s needing treatment for knife wounds was 58% higher than in 2013-14.

And the online documentary focusing on London knife crime, released by European broadcaster Arte TV, highlights how the capital has become the epicentre of the crisis.