NI knife killings doubled since peace deal

Knife killings in Northern Ireland doubled since the 1998 peace deal was signed, it emerged today.

And the level of violence involving blades has gone beyond three-a-day in the last six months, a police expert revealed.

Half way through a three-week amnesty to take lethal blades off the streets, analytical director Mark Evans said his team first identified a rise in stabbings a year ago.

Mr Evans, who heads a team of 90 advisers to the Police Service of Northern Ireland, described the number of murders involving knives during decades of sectarian violence as relatively low.

He said: “There were lots of people killed as a result of other activity, but since the Troubles ended we have seen an increase in the number of knife-related murders.

“It’s probably twice as bad as it was during the Troubles.”

The authorities launched the knife-disposal scheme, which runs until June 14, following growing concern at the attacks.

Bins have been stored for weapons to be dumped, although police can still forensically test any they suspect were used in a crime.

Some of the weapons recovered so far are to be put on display in Belfast tomorrow.

Despite the surge in attacks following the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, the new level remained stable for the next seven years.

“There were about 90 incidents a month,” Mr Evans said.

“But over the course of the last six months we have seen a slight increase in that level.

“We are now looking at maybe 100 a month.”

Public alarm at the growing knife culture led the British government and policing chiefs to take action.

The PSNI’s Analysis Centre, the first of its kind in the UK and set up under the Patten blueprint for reforming the force, studied trends as part of its work to help police identify current crime.

“The analytical work we did a year ago highlighted this was an issue,” added Mr Evans.

“We produced a report for the senior command team and that, along with the work produced by other people, contributed to a strategy to try and deal with knife crime.”