Knives 'worse than guns'

knife crime must be treated as seriously as incidents involving guns, politicians demanded today.

The call comes in the wake of the murder of teacher Robert Symons, the father of two stabbed to death tackling an early-morning burglar at his home in Chiswick.

New figures show violent crime is rising by four per cent across London, although total crime is down two per cent. The use of knives is a particular concern, with 361 incidents a week - up 13 per cent year-on-year.

Richard Barnes, Tory spokesman on the Metropolitan Police Authority, said the level of knife attacks was " horrific". He said: "It's got to be equated with gun crime, which has been the major focus. When you consider that over half of murders are committed with a bladed weapon, it's equally as worrying as gun crime, if not more so."

He said there was concern that criminals were turning to knives following the introduction of five-year prison sentences for possession of guns.

By comparison, there is a two-year maximum sentence for possession of a knife, though this doubles if the offence is at a school.

Mr Barnes said he also wanted to see the Met Police's anti-knife initiative, Operation Blunt, extended from three boroughs right across the capital. He said: "Given the tendency for youngsters to carry knives and given that burglary tends to be a young man's type of crime, there is bound to be a correlation."

Shadow home secretary David Davis added: "Knife crime, like gun crime, has risen steeply in the last seven years and this trend looks set to continue. We need to get a grip on knife crime and gun crime, much of which is fuelled by the escalating drugs culture." The Met said part of the rise in detected knife crime was a result of Operation Blunt. However, acting assistant commissioner Steve House also admitted there were more knives on the streets.

He said: "There's a feeling that because gun crime is being reduced, people think it's safer to go into knives - people like the Tamil gangs that carry knives, people with meat cleavers, down to kids carrying fairly small knives to school because their mates do." The MPA found a growing knife culture in some of the most affluent boroughs. Kensington and Chelsea has seen the highest percentage rise in knife crime in London in the last two years.

Hounslow had the second highest rise of 27 per cent with 419 knife crimes - excluding arrests for possession.

The increase in burglaries in which a knife was used was 150 per cent, though the number involved was a relatively small 25.