HC Deb 28 April 1993 vol 223 cc437-8W
Mr. Callaghan

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many men have been convicted of >offences which involved the use of a knife at courts covering the Greater Manchester area for each of the last three years.

Mr. Jack

Information available centrally, which is given in the table, relates only to the number of persons found guilty of possession of knives under section 1 of the Prevention of Crime Act 1953 and section 139, of the Criminal Justice Act 1988, for the years 1989 to 1991. It is not possible to distinguish centrally whether knives have been used for other offences, such as wounding. Information for 1992 is not yet available.

Number of male offenders who were found guilty of offences of possession of knives in the Greater Manchester Police Force Area 1989–1991
Males
Offence 1989 1990 1991
Carrying of offensive weapons without lawful authority or excuse1 289 246 294
Carrying article with blade or point in public place2 122 115 110

1 Prevention of Crime Act 1953, section 1. May include a small number of offences involving truncheons, etc.

2 Criminal Justice Act 1988, section 139.