Part 1: THE THEORY OF KNIFE CRIME. Do people do this to

In England and Wales knife crime has become a major problem with people being stabbed in a tide of violence sweeping Britain, but the reason for the spike is the subject of fierce argument.A report by the government cited drug dealing and social media as key drivers, but police have called for more funding to turn around the loss of thousands of officers and voluntary groups are attacking cuts to youth services.

The debate continues amid a bleak background of rising knife crime, which rose by 22 per cent across England and Wales in 2017 – the biggest annual increase ever recorded.Knife crime in England and Wales increases by largest margin ever almost 40,000 offences involving knives or sharp weapons were recorded by police in the year, according figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which said “high harm” criminal offences have been building over the past two years due to the cut of youth services and mental helth services.

The government has repeatedly highlighted improvements in the way police record crime but the ONS said reforms did not fully account for the rise, citing injury figures from the NHS. There have been more than 60 murders in London alone since the start of this year, amid a spate of stabbings and shootings that saw two teenagers murdered in one night earlier this month.