A THIRD of knife and offensive weapons offenders were jailed in Cumbria last year, new figures show.

Ministry of Justice figures show 46 offenders in Cumbria were given an immediate sentence in the year to September – accounting for 35 per cent of knife crime offenders who went through the criminal justice system.

This was in line with the proportion of offenders handed an immediate sentence in 2020-21, but below the proportion two years prior (36 per cent).

Overall, about 16 per cent of the 132 offenders in Cumbria who went through the criminal justice system were cautioned, 20 per cent were given community sentences and 20 per cent were suspended sentences.

The data shows 76 per cent of offenders in Cumbria last year had no previous convictions or cautions, 17 per cent had one, 4 per cent had two and 4 per cent had three or more.

Across England and Wales, nearly 19,400 knife and offensive weapon offences were formally dealt with – a decrease of 5% since the year ending September 2021.

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This is despite separate figures showing an 11 per cent increase in knife crime over the course of the same period.

Patrick Green, Ben Kinsella Trust chief executive, said that not enough people who are guilty of knife crimes are given a jail sentence by the court. 

"They show that there is now a higher likelihood that a knife crime offender will be served with a suspended sentence rather than go to jail for their crime," he said.

He said sanctions imposed by the courts are failing to change the behaviour of habitual offenders, and the court system needs more investment to keep pace with increasing knife crime figures.

He said: "But we cannot rely solely on the criminal justice system to resolve this issue on its own. We must widen our focus to stop knife crime at source by investing more in our young people and the services that support and divert them away from crime."

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “Our recent changes to sentencing mean repeat knife offenders are now more likely to face jail and the extra 20,000 police officers we are recruiting will help bring more criminals to justice.”