Knife crime has fallen across West Midlands police force areas, but two of the three forces have seen an increase in knife-related homicides, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.
Knife crime trends
West Mercia Police and West Midlands Police both recorded drops of over 10% in knife crime incidents in 2025 compared to 2024. Staffordshire Police saw a smaller decrease of less than 3%. Nationally, two-thirds of police forces in England and Wales recorded a year-on-year fall in knife crime incidents in 2025, while nearly half saw a drop in homicides.
Homicide figures
However, Staffordshire was the only force in the region to see a reduction in knife-related homicides. West Mercia and West Midlands both reported increases. Across England and Wales, 172 knife homicides were logged in 2025, down from 217 in 2024, marking the lowest annual number since comparable data began in 2010/11. The total number of homicides last year stood at 503, down 6% from 534 in 2024.
Regional rankings
Levels of police-recorded knife crime are now at their lowest since the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic. A total of 49,151 knife offences were recorded across England and Wales in 2025, down from 54,548 in 2024. This figure is lower than the 49,190 offences recorded in 2021/22 but higher than the 44,728 in the first year of the pandemic, 2020/21.
Knife crime figures by force
- Staffordshire: 766 incidents in 2025 (787 in 2024), down 21 (-2.7%)
- West Mercia: 602 incidents in 2025 (680 in 2024), down 78 (-11.5%)
- West Midlands: 3,946 incidents in 2025 (4,642 in 2024), down 696 (-15.0%)
Knife homicides by force
- Staffordshire: 10 homicides in 2025 (11 in 2024), down 1
- West Mercia: 14 homicides in 2025 (9 in 2024), up 5
- West Midlands: 39 homicides in 2025 (31 in 2024), up 8
The data highlights mixed trends across the region, with overall knife crime falling but lethal incidents rising in two of the three force areas.
