Knives used in over two hundred Ballymena crimes
Thursday, 3 July 2008
MORE than 200 recorded crimes involving a knife have taken place in the Ballymena area in the last five years, it has emerged.
According to government figures there have been a total of 216 incidents within the Ballymena District Council area since 2003.
For the period 2003/04 there were 42 crimes where a knife was involved, rising by one to 43 in 2004/05 and 2005/06, dropping slightly to 41 in 2006/07 and increasing to 47 in 2007/08. Belfast had the highest number of crimes involving a knife with 1,820 followed by Newtownabbey with 333, Foyle with 322, Craigavon with 306, Coleraine and Newry and Mourne both with 238 and Ballymena with 216. Magherafelt had the lowest incidents with 18, Followed by Cookstown with 22 and Moyle with 28.
The statistics were revealed recently by Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Goggins in response to a Parliamentary question from DUP MP Sammy Wilson who asked for details of the number of crimes involving knives broken down by local authority area.
The Minister explained that the figures related to offences where a knife was involved in the incident, however, it is not known how the knife was actually used. He also revealed that more than 450 young people in Northern Ireland were threatened or hurt with knives in the last five years. Just over 100 attacks on youths aged under 18 happened in the last year whilst in 2006/07, 260 people of all ages were victims of knife crime.
However, that number has risen to 423 in the past 12 months.
The Northern Ireland Secretary said a number of initiatives have been introduced since the last amnesty and are now in operation across Northern Ireland to reduce the level of knife crime.
He continued: "PSNI have rolled out the use of metal detectors and also introduced a stop and search policy.
“New legislation has been introduced to make it more difficult to obtain knives by raising the minimum age limit for purchase to 18. Last month, it became illegal in Northern Ireland to manufacture, sell, hire or import samurai swords.
“The recent Criminal Justice (NI) Order contains powers which double the penalties for possessing a knife in public and also for selling/manufacturing/marketing knives to under 18's.
“Knife disposal bins have been retained on site at civic amnesty locations and PSNI education officers continue to raise awareness in schools on a number of key issues, including the dangers of carrying a knife," he concluded.
