Action call over knife injury figures

Assaults with knives and other sharp objects have led to more than 1,000 hospital admissions in the Northumbria Police area in less than a decade, new figures show.
Action call over knife injuriesAction call over knife injuries
Action call over knife injuries

Anti-knife crime charity the Ben Kinsella Trust has called for more to be done to educate children about the impact of knife crime – with two in five stabbing admissions in England involving young people.

NHS Digital data shows that, between April 2012 and March this year, there were around 1,135 admissions of patients from the Northumbria force area following an assault with a sharp object – with 26% of those involved being people aged under 25.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Around 155 admissions followed attacks on people from the area in 2020-21 – the most recent period with complete data.

A spokesman for the National Police Chiefs' Council said: "Preventing people from carrying knives is not something that police forces can do alone. It requires schools, charities, the health service and community groups to work together.

"Only by working with partners can we deliver long-lasting change and ensure young people see the devastating effects carrying a knife can have."

The data shows hospitals in England admitted more than 38,000 patients with stab wounds since 2012 – 40% involving young people.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Patrick Green, CEO of the Ben Kinsella Trust, said: "These figures show that knife crime remains a significant problem for the criminal justice system and the NHS. More worryingly, they show that we are failing to protect young people. We need to do far more to educate young people about the dangers of knife crime."