Sky News: Murders have risen by 12% and crimes involving knives or sharp instruments by 16% in England and Wales, new figures show.
A total of 701 murders were recorded by police in the year to March 2018 – the fourth consecutive increase – according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
This figure excludes cases linked to terror attacks and the Hillsborough disaster.
Knife crime has also continued to rise, with police recording 40,147 offences.
When it came to overall crime, forces logged a total of 5.5 million offences, a rise of a 11% compared with the previous year.
There was also a 2% increase in gun crime, with 6,492 offences recorded.
