Lancashire knife crime - shock figures

Alarming figures have shown that there is a knife crime almost every day in Lancashire.

There were 345 crimes involving blades in 2015, including five murders and five attempted murders, according to statistics obtained from Lancashire Police under the Freedom of Information Act.

A Lancashire Police spokesman said: “As these figures show, the consequences of carrying a knife can be potentially 
devastating to both victims and their families.”

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Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show 345 crimes committed in Lancashire last year involved a knife.

Five cases of attempted murder also involved a knife, with a further 113 involved in woundings.

Blades were used in 213 assaults – 110 of which resulted in an injury.

Knives were also a feature of five kidnappings and two cases of cruelty to children.

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In 2015, 119 people were arrested for carrying a blade in public in Lancashire.

Lancashire Constabulary has joined forces with the ground-breaking national anti-knife crime campaign “Save a Life, Surrender Your Knife”, a national initiative to raise awareness of knife crime and encourage the surrender of dangerous weapons.

Knife bins at locations across Lancashire in an amnesty last year, including job centres, community centres and leisure centres, yielded over 3,000 knives, and people can still hand in any knife at any police station with a front counter.

A Lancashire Police spokesperson said: “As these figures show, the consequences of carrying a knife can be potentially devastating to both victims and their families.

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“A knife is a lethal weapon and just being in possession of one in a public place is a criminal offence, with the exception of small folding pocket knives.

“Some people think carrying a knife protects them but they could end up hurting someone or being hurt themselves.

“The maximum prison sentence for carrying a knife is four years, but if you use the knife in a crime or to injure someone the penalties are a lot worse.”