Number of Coventry stabbings this year already double that of 2018

The total of stabbings in Coventry this year has risen to more than double the number of incidents in 2018. 

In 2018, there were 16 stabbing incidents overall in Coventry. On 8 October 2019, 33 incidents had been recorded, officially doubling the previous year’s number. 

Coventry Police have stated that knife crime in the city has been made a “force priority” with extra stop-and-search powers being used in the previous months.

Moreover, across the West Midlands 14 knife-crimes are seen per day, Birmingham Live reports. 

West Midlands Police state they have logged 4,081 in 2019 up to the beginning of October, with 22,825 crimes involving a knife or sharp instrument crime over the last five years.

Coventry Police Superintendent Phil Healy said: “Knife crime has risen in Coventry in the last year; it’s a sad and shocking reality.

“And it’s something Coventry Police and our partners across the city are determined to tackle because too many lives, especially young lives, are being ruined.

 

We all have a role to play in tackling knife crime; parents, education, health, communities, charities…we can all make a difference

– Phil Healy

“There is no common thread running through the incidents we’re seeing reported to us, but there is no denying some of the incidents are gang and drug-related. Others are domestic incidents, and some are related to acquisitive crime like robbery.

“We all have a role to play in tackling knife crime; parents, education, health, communities, charities…we can all make a difference.”

Alongside an increase in knife-crime, there has also been hundreds of cases of anti-social behaviour in Coventry in just one month. In August – the month up to which data is published for so far this year – 420 incidents of anti-social behaviour were reported.

The government has announced that West Midlands Police will receive funding to appoint 366 additional police officers next year. 590 new officers will be recruited across the wider West Midlands area, including 41 extra officers for Warwickshire police.

West Midlands Police force also announced earlier this year that it plans to spend £7m to tackle youth violence after declaring knife crime a “national emergency”. 

£100,000 will be given to young people from the police force to improve their communities “via local initiates”.

West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) David Jamieson acknowledged the funding was “short term” but said the investment was “to break the cycle of crime”.  

Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “This means the people of the West Midlands will benefit from having nearly 600 more officers to help stop criminals in their tracks.”