Shock interactive map lays bare our knife crime crisis & reveals most dangerous hotspots – is YOUR town deadly zone?

AS kids are stabbed at school and machete brawls take place in the streets, our shocking interactive map lays bare the true extent of Britain's knife crime crisis, and reveals just where in the country is safe. With blades wreaking havoc on our towns, countless lives have been lost lately - including Sheffield student Harvey Willgoose, 15, who was fatally stabbed at school. While London is typically regarded as the 'knife crime capital', with incidents involving a knife soaring by 58 percent in just three years, according to new figures, the problem is rife across the whole of Britain.

It seems barely a day passes without an incident involving a blade, but some of the most high profile cases in recent times include the murder of three innocent schoolgirls in Southport, Merseyside at the hands of cold killer Axel Rudakubana, 18. And just this week in Ammanford, Wales, a 14-year-old schoolgirl who wanted to be a "celebrity" was found guilty of trying to murder two teachers and a pupil.

As showcased in our new interactive map below, the most recent data released by the Office for National Statistics covering the year up to September 2024 has revealed the areas most affected by knife crime within England and Wales. Unsurprisingly, London comes out as number one in the list of danger hotspots, with 16,521 serious offences involving a blade recorded by the Metropolitan police. This is compared to 13,957, 11,517 and 10,489 in the three preceding years.

However it's a much more widespread issue than many may believe, and one impacting the whole country. The second worst hit area for knife crime is the West Midlands, with the latest figures showing 4,930 offences recorded. Just last month "adored" 12-year-old Leo Ross was stabbed to death on his way home from school in a Birmingham park, and a 14-year-old was arrested. In third place is Greater Manchester (4,930), followed by West Yorkshire (2,318).

In fifth is South Yorkshire (1,629), followed by Essex (1,532), Merseyside (1,241), Sussex (1,186), Avon and Somerset (1,683) and Lancashire (1,189). But while the capital came out with the worst knife crime stats, London has the lowest recorded sex offences in the UK. Meanwhile, Cleveland in North East England continues to have the highest level of violence and sex crime recorded per 1,000 population - on top of being the most dangerous place to live overall in the country.

The most recent figures show it recorded a ratio of 126.5 crimes per 1,000 people overall in the last year. In second place was West Yorkshire (115.9) and third South Yorkshire (107.9). The Met, in comparison recorded 105.7 per 1,000 population. Cleveland covers areas including Middlesbrough, Hartlepool, and Stockton-on-Tees. A spokesperson for Cleveland Police told The Sun in December: “Cleveland Police faces significant challenges with high levels of crime and demand for policing services resembling that experienced by much larger metropolitan forces.

“The demand on the force is further challenged due to several of our areas experiencing high levels of social deprivation creating some of the most complex policing challenges faced by any police force.". These are the stats for the latest 12-month period, with the previous year in brackets:. London Met 16,521 (13,957). West Midlands 4,930 (5,239). Greater Manchester 3,427 (-). West Yorkshire 2,318 (2,373).

South Yorkshire 1,459 (1,629). Essex 1,532 (1,575). Merseyside 1,241 (1,276). Sussex 1,186 (1,030). Avon and Somerset 1,683 (1,368). Lancashire 1,189 (1,043). While it's a nation-wide issue, the latest data has of course laid bare the rapid rise in the capital's out-of-control knife problem. The surge has been so great that the step-mum of Jodie Chesney, 17 - stabbed to death in a London park in 2019 - told The Sun Labour has betrayed knife crime victims by giving Mayor Sadiq Khan a knighthood.

Knife deaths in recent months include 14-year-old Daniel Anjorin who was killed on his way to school in a brutal sword attack in Hainault in May last year. Similarly, Kelyan Bokassa, also 14, was fatally stabbed on a bus in Woolwich last month on his first day back to class. His devastated mother Mary, 50, fought back tears as she recalled the day she always dreaded — but knew would come, and just hours before his death, he gave his mum a hug she will never forget.

She said: “He played with the dog and then he caught the bus to Woolwich to see his social worker. That was the last time I saw my son. "He was a good son — he was polite, caring and very kind.". Girl who attacked teachers 'wanted to be a celeb'. A 14-year-old teen who wanted to be a "celebrity" was found guilty this week of trying to murder two teachers and a pupil in a school stabbing. The teen, who was aged 13 at the time, launched into a frenzied knife attack at Ysgo Dyffryn Aman in Ammanford, Wales.