Twelve knife crimes a day are happening in Greater Manchester

A surge in knife crime is a national crisis and 12 incidents a day have happened in Greater Manchester since 2020 according to figures released by the force. Between November 2020 and May 2023 the number totalled 10,864.

The highest number, which accounted for 13 percent of all incidents, were in the North Manchester district of GMP. Salford had the second highest rate where 10.2 percent of incidents occurred.

But GMP say an operation to tackle knife crime is proving successful and a ten year strategy to deal with violence will bolster attempts to reduce the number of incidents.

The Manchester Evening News reported last week how a baby-faced teenager left a man needing 30 stitches in his face after a squabble over a nightclub booth erupted into violence.

Riley Jackson, 19, pulled out a knife and slashed his victim's cheek 'without warning' after he tried to challenge Jackson for sitting in the booth his group had paid for in a city centre nightclub. The 19-year-old was jailed for five years after the brutal assault, which took place in April this year and left his victim with permanent scarring.

As reported in the Manchester Evening News, knife crime has fallen by 16 per cent in Greater Manchester despite rising across England and Wales. Mayor Andy Burnham says there is more work to be done to tackle it. The city-region still has one of the highest levels of knife crime in the country.

Between June 2022 and July 2023, there were 3,012 knife or sharp instrument offences recorded in Greater Manchester which is 16 per cent less than the year before. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police saw a 21 per cent rise in incidents during that period in London.

Earlier this month, GMP revealed that more than 300 people have been