British report finds knife crime up

LONDON, Aug. 9 (UPI) -- There has been a dramatic increase in knife attacks in England and Wales, especially in street crimes, a London report says.

The Center for Crime and Justice at King's College said knife use in muggings increased 73 percent in the past year and knife attacks on strangers increased 55 percent, the Times of London reported.

"Government and the police lack a coherent, evidence-based, reasoned strategy for dealing with knife carrying and knife-related offenses," the report said.

The authors said they found little evidence to support Home Secretary John Reid's tactics for dealing with violent street crimes. They include longer sentences for crimes involving knives and a recent amnesty in which thousands of knives were turned in to police.

The government is considering increasing the penalty for carrying a knife without good cause to four years.

The only way to reduce knife crime is to get at the underlying causes of crime, the report said.

"As long as there is unsliced bread, opportunities for knife crime will exist," the report said.