Don't Miss
Most Read
Trending on GB News
Labour has accused the Government of "wreaking havoc on communities" across Wales as data from the Office of National Statistics shows a doubling of knife crime in Wales over the last decade.
The ONS says the number of annual cases increased from 598 in 2013 to 1,995 a decade on.
Shadow Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens said: "Knife crime is no longer just an issue affecting inner cities as the Conservatives suggest but is wreaking havoc on communities across Wales."
Gwent and Dyfed-Powys saw a three-fold increase in knife crime since 2013. The latest statistics show South Wales recorded the greatest number of offences.
Labour has accused the Government of 'wreaking havoc on communities' across Wales as data from the Office of National Statistics shows a doubling of knife crime in Wales over the last decade
Getty
Overall across the UK knife crime has risen from 27,498 cases in 2015 to 48,716 in the last year.
Stevens said the rising rates suggest the Conservatives have neglected the issue of knife crime.
She added: "The Tories talk tough on knife crime – yet on their watch, it is rising at an alarming rate.
"The next Labour government will halve serious violence within a decade. We will get neighbourhood police back on the streets and deliver a serious preventative programme to tackle this violence once and for all."
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:However, the Conservatives say that "the public is less safe in Labour-run areas."
A Conservative spokesperson said: "Labour Police and Crime Commissioners need to get a grip on knife crime in their areas. The data is clear - the public is less safe in Labour-run areas.
"The Conservative Government is clamping down on knife crime, banning zombie knives and getting them off our streets. Our plan is working, with hospital admissions for young people with serious knife injuries down by 25 per cent since 2019.
"Only the Conservatives have a plan to take the tough action necessary to tackle knife crime, Labour would just take us back to square one."
Earlier this year the Government announced legislation to ban so-called zombie knives and machetes - making it illegal to possess, sell, manufacture or transport them.
Shadow Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens said: 'Knife crime is no longer just an issue affecting inner cities'
Getty
The Government is calling on anyone who owns any listed weapons to hand them over into a "knife surrender bin".
Meanwhile, the full ban will come into force in September, after which anyone in possession of an illegal knife could face time behind bars.
Labour says the plans do not go far enough. Earlier this week the Opposition called on the Government to close loopholes in its plans to tackle knife crime.
Labour proposals include bringing criminal charges against bosses at Amazon, eBay and Instagram if illegal knives are sold on their platforms.