A revealing new map highlights the Somerset neighbourhoods where people are most likely to be found armed with knives, guns, or other offensive weapons, coinciding with the government’s introduction of tougher measures to tackle the rising knife crime epidemic.
In 2024, police across England and Wales recorded nearly 58,000 weapons offences, including possession of knives, firearms, and other dangerous items. While this total represents a decrease of approximately 850 offences compared to 2023—the first overall drop since the pandemic—the figures remain alarmingly high. Knife possession offences hit a record 28,000, coupled with a record 22,000 offences involving other weapons.
Within the Avon and Somerset police jurisdiction, more than 1,000 weapons offences were recorded in 2024. Hyperlocal data points to town and city centres as hotspots for weapons seizures. Weston Town and Temple Meads in Bristol city centre each recorded 38 offences, the highest in the region. Elsewhere, Central Bath & Lansdown reported 22 offences, Yeovil Town 21, and Taunton North Town 17.
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The map further exposes weapon crime rates in residential and rural areas. For instance, the small villages of Wrington, Felton, and Dundry in North Somerset logged 10 weapons offences, equating to a rate of 2.5 crimes per 1,000 residents or one offence per 407 people—significant for such communities.
This comprehensive data, accessible via the interactive map, covers over 7,000 neighbourhoods across England and Wales, excluding Greater Manchester due to unavailable data. Crime statistics correspond to Middle Super Output Areas (MSOAs), each encompassing 7,000 to 10,000 residents. However, incidents recorded at train stations are excluded as they fall under British Transport Police jurisdiction.
In response to these troubling trends, the government is intensifying efforts to curb knife crime. Recently, the Home Office announced that technology companies and their executives could face fines up to £70,000 for failing to remove knife crime-related content from online platforms—£10,000 for executives and £60,000 for companies.
This follows last year’s ban on “zombie knives” and machetes—street names for serrated knives exceeding eight inches—and the launch of a nationwide surrender scheme scheduled for July.
Additional government initiatives include implementing two-step verification for online knife sales, extending prison sentences for selling weapons to under-18s from six months to two years, and creating a new offence for possessing a weapon with intent to commit violence, carrying a maximum four-year prison term.
A consultation is also set to begin on introducing a retailer licensing scheme for knife sales.
Addressing these measures, Crime and Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson emphasized: “The kind of content that young people scroll through every day online is sickening and I will not accept any notion that restricting access to this harmful material is too difficult. Our children need more from us. That is why we are now going further than ever to hold to account the tech companies who are not doing enough to safeguard young people from content which incites violence, particularly in young boys.”