"One a week" knife crime in Colchester revealed by MP

12.00.00am GMT Thu 9th Nov 2006

Knife Crime

There is a knife crime in Colchester every week, figures obtained by the town's MP Bob Russell have revealed.

Colchester Police Chief, Chief Superintendent Dave Hudson, provided the details in response to a request from Mr Russell.

Over the last 12 months there were 53 reported crimes involving knives. Commenting today, Mr Russell said: "That is more than one a week!"

He added: "There is an increasing trend of knife use across the country so I wanted to find out if this was happening in Colchester. I am dismayed at the extent of the problem in Colchester which is clearly putting both residents and our police at risk."

Mr Russell, who is a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee, said that the carrying and use of knives should be treated the same as gun crime.