Knife crime figures pile the pressure on Labour

Figures from 37 police forces, published by the Mail on Sunday, showed there were 5,500 serious crimes involving knives in just three months this year.

The statistic equates to one every 24 minutes, around the clock, and includes 55 knife-related murders, more than 2,000 stabbings and almost 2,500 muggings at knifepoint.

The Tories immediately criticised the Government for ignoring the true extent of the knife problem on Britain's streets and claimed its denial of the seriousness of the issue was adding to the problem.

Critics also pointed the finger at Labour for failing to enact tougher measures against perpetrators of knife crime, and insisted they needed to take the issue far more seriously.

Shadow home secretary David Davis claimed the figures showed the Government was in denial.

He said: "These shocking figures betray the desperate state of violent crime under this Government."

Terrible price of the blade culture

The Home Office claimed it was doing its best to tackle knife crime and said it had adopted a three-pronged approach based on powers, policing and prevention. It was too early to say these newly-collated figures identified a trend in terms of knife crime, a spokesman added.

He said: "Over time this will provide trend data. However, these raw figures are incomplete and have not yet been verified. As it is the first time this information has been collected it is impossible to identify a trend.

"Crime and violent crime have fallen by a third in the last ten years, while sharp instrument homicides have remained broadly stable."

Liberal Democrat leadership contender Nick Clegg accused ministers of being part of the problem.

He said: "Endless tough-talking gimmicks from this Government have simply worsened the very climate of fear, which has led to an increase in knife crime in the first place."

Norman Brennan, chairman of the Victims of Crime Trust and a serving police officer, said: "The Government is partly responsible for some of the preventable murders through its failure to introduce measures that could have prevented some of those fatalities and injuries.

"For 11 years, this Government has failed to deliver on its promise to be tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime."