OVER the past year, there have been a number of news items regarding people in Harlow being in possession of a knife.

This is a general discussion on a public affair and won’t be referring to any specific active cases.

Our first port of call when it comes to a crime figures published on the website of the Essex Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.

https://essex.pfcc.police.uk/finance-reporting/policing-crime-performance/police-performance

According to the statistics, there are two persons a week, in Harlow, being found in possession of an offensive weapon.

Of course we don’t know, how many people, on any given day, are walking around Harlow in possession of a knife.

The crime figures appear to show that from 2018 to 2021, they hovered around the 80 offences over a twelve month period.

Somewhere along the way, they suddenly jumped up.

It looks like mid 2021. It looks like some form of post Covid world.

To what extent has it become a necessity?

This is an updated version of an article, we wrote last year. At the time, we felt there should be a knife-crime summit. We still do.

We would not be submitting this piece to the British Crime Survey. It is merely an overview in order to get a discussion going.

Can we just mark the card here. If your first port of call is “Londoners mate” then please supply us with your own statistical analysis. Otherwise the comment is removed. The unpalatable truth is that third or fourth generation white working class individuals from Harlow may well be the vast majority of those in possession of offensive weapons.

The figures you see are for a twelve month period, that is to say, between November 2023 and November 2024, there were 123 reports of a person or persons being in possession of an offensive weapon. There were 80 cases of that crime being “solved”.

If there is good news, then there has been a slight reduction in the numbers. In 2023, they were regularly over 150. Now we have two months around 125.

Statistics: Offensive Weapons in Harlow

November 24: 123 (80)

October 24: 126 (83)

September 24: 135 (82)

August 24: 144 (85)

July 24: 143 (80)

June 24: 140 (81)

May 24: 147 (81)

April 24: 150 (89)

March 24: 154 (92)

Feb 24: 152 (94)

January 24: 155 (99)

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December 2023: 152-95

November 23: 151-88

October 23: 153-89

September 23: 150-88

August 23: 143-86

July 23: 145-86

June 23: 148-92

May 23: 151-93

April 23: 151-98

March 23:152- 97

February 23: 147-98

January 23: 151-96

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Dec 2021: 148-53

November 2021: 149 -00

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Oct 2021: 87-52

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Oct 20: 87-58

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Oct 2019: 86-47

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Oct 2018: 44-20

Jan 2018: 71 17

https://www.essex.pfcc.police.uk/essex-police-performance-2-2