New figures show knife crime is up by a third in Lincolnshire.
A report has found that the number of knife related incidents has risen by 46 to 231 offences between 2016/17 and 2017/18.
The House of Commons library report also showed that knife crime in Lincolnshire has risen by an average of 33% on a whole since 2010.
Despite this Lincolnshire Police are saying that the county is one of the safest places in the country in regards to knife crime.
Chief Inspector Steve Williamson says: “Lincolnshire remains an incredibly safe place to live in or visit and we work hard all-year-round to educate people about the dangers of knives.
“Raising awareness for us is very much an ongoing thing, but if anyone suspects that someone is carrying a knife please contact us.”
This all coincides with a week where Lincolnshire police are cracking down on knife crime with their ‘Knives changes lives’ campaign.
The campaign which is part of Operation Sceptre is running as part of national week of action that runs from March 11-17 2019.
The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness of the dangers that come with knives and how police are trying to keep them off the streets.
Lincolnshire is not the only county aiming to tackle knife crime with a national petition being set up to help combat around 40,000 offences of knife crime each year.
Although Lincolnshire does not experience knife crime to the same extent of London, Jeffrey Bocking, who previously lived in London before moving to Lincoln said: ” There is a distinct feeling of fear of knife crime there.
“I was robbed a few times when i was 14/15 and there was always of a worry of being stabbed as this happened.
“In Lincoln I have felt no real threat compared to how I felt in London. I feel a lot more comfortable, even talking to the police about it is an easier experience than in London.”
A petition is calling for changes so that people found with a knife are to get 10 years in prison and if found using a knife they are to get 25 years. It is hoped it will received 100,000 signatures.
The campaign comes after a significant increase in knife crime in London over recent weeks with, 13 murders due to stabbings since the beginning of the year.
