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Hospitals are dealing with soaring numbers of stab victims – with the 4,112 cases recorded last year being a two per cent rise on 2020-2021. Patrick Green, chairman of the anti-knife crime Ben Kinsella Trust, called the figures “disturbing” and evidence of a huge escalation in this violence.

He added: “I have always been concerned that once the restrictions imposed to contain Covid were lifted knife crime could quickly return to the levels we saw in 2019.

“This latest data confirms my worst fears. We need a renewed effort to take knives and those who carry them off our streets. But we also need to tackle the problem at source, prevention and early intervention are critically important.”

NHS Digital statistics reveal admissions to hospitals in England hit a high of 5,071 in 2018-2019 but dropped to 4,014 during the pandemic.

Of those cases last year, 855 were in London, 405 in the West Midlands and 310 in Greater Manchester. There were 240 admissions across West Yorkshire hospitals, 175 in South Yorkshire region and 140 in Merseyside.

The grim findings come days after a report revealed only one in six crimes involving a knife in London has been solved by police over the past two years.

Seven forces recorded knife crime at a record high in the year ending this March. But the proportion resulting in a charge or sanction has fallen by at least 50 per cent in the past six years.

Experts claim criminals, despite longer jail sentences, are being increasingly “emboldened” by declining police prosecution rates.

Chris Phillips, a former Met police officer, said: “There has been a consistent rise punctuated only by the Covid lockdowns.”

The grim findings come days after a report revealed only one in six crimes involving a knife in London has been solved by police over the past two years.

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