Cumbria defies national trend as knife crime drops

South Lakeland MP Tim Farron has praised Cumbria Police as figures released today show that the county has defied the national trend and seen a fall in knife crime over the last year.

The rate of knife crime in the county fell by almost 3% over the last year, to 32 offences per 100,000 of the population. This compares to an increase across England and Wales as a whole.

The rate of knife crime in Cumbria is now almost 15% lower than the average for England and Wales.

Tim said: "Local people will welcome the news that knife crime in our area has dropped. This is particularly impressive as it meant that Cumbria bucked the national trend. The level of knife crime in our county is now significantly lower than the national average, where just four years ago it was the same.

"I'd like to thank Cumbria Police for their hard work in tackling knife crime and other crime here in Cumbria, particularly given the financial pressure they are under."