Fatal stabbings account for half of 2023 homicides

Peshawa Ghaffour, 30, was jailed for seven years for manslaughter in November [1].

A spokesperson for South Yorkshire Police said it was one of 20 forces to be awarded additional Home Office funding to tackle serious violence, which was worth GBP1.2m in 2023-24.

Dr Alan Billings, South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, said his office supported a range of initiatives to tackle knife crime, adding that changing behaviours was "not easy but remains a top priority".

He said the South Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit funded projects in local hospitals and custody suites where mentors met with those who presented with stab wounds to seek to help them escape violent lives.

He said: "Too many young people continue to think that they must carry a knife 'for protection' even though they know that statistically this is not true: they are more likely to become the victim of violence as a result."

There were at least two fatal stabbings in North Yorkshire and one in East Yorkshire, according to the research.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said they were working to restrict the supply of blades and running knife amnesty programmes.

A spokesperson for Humberside Police said they worked with families and partner agencies "to raise awareness through campaigns and to educate communities in the hope of saving countless lives".

The BBC research also indicates that of the 54 homicide investigations known to the media:

Forty victims were male and 14 female;
At least four victims died in road traffic collisions and at least one died in a house fire;
Victims ranged in age from five months to 74 years;
One was later found to be a non-suspicious death.

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References

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^ Facebook, external (www.facebook.com)
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