Knife crime at record high as overall charge rate falls

Labour says decline in suspects being charged or summonsed is 'indictment' of Tory cuts

The proportion of recorded crimes in England and Wales that resulted in a suspect being charged or summonsed to court has fallen again, figures reveal, as knife crime surges to a record high.

In the year to March 2019, 7.8% of all recorded offences resulted in a charge or a summons, against 9.1% the previous year, figures on crime outcomes from the Home Office show.