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There were fewer sentences handed out for knife and offensive weapons crime in Nottinghamshire last year, new figures show.

Anti-knife crime charity the Ben Kinsella Trust said further investment in the court system is needed to help it keep up with rising knife crime across the England and Wales.

Ministry of Justice figures show 118 offenders in Nottinghamshire were given an immediate sentence in the year to September, 23 per cent of knife-crime offenders who went through the criminal justice system.

This was down on the proportion of offenders handed an immediate sentence in 2020-21, 27 per cent, and below the proportion two years prior, 32 per cent.

Across England and Wales, nearly 19,400 knife and offensive weapon offences were formally dealt with.

Overall, about 16 per cent of the 519 offenders in Nottinghamshire who went through the criminal justice system were cautioned, 18 per cent were given community sentences and 33 per cent were suspended sentences.

Across England and Wales, nearly 19,400 knife and offensive weapon offences were formally dealt with, a decrease of 5 per cent since the year ending September 2021, despite separate figures showing an 11 per cent increase in knife crime over the same period.

Patrick Green, trust chief executive, said sanctions imposed by the courts are failing to change the behaviour of habitual offenders, and the courts system needs more investment to keep pace with increasing knife-crime figures.

He said: “We cannot rely solely on the criminal justice system to resolve this issue on its own. We must widen our focus to stop knife crime at source by investing more in our young people and the services that support and divert them from crime.”

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National figures showed the average length of sentences for possession of a knife or offensive weapon increased slightly from 7.4 months in 2020-21 to 7.6 months last year.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “More criminals caught carrying a knife are being sent to jail for longer than a decade ago thanks to the decisive action of this Government to protect the public and make our streets safer.

“Our recent changes to sentencing mean repeat knife offenders are now more likely to face jail.”

The data shows 72 per cent of offenders in Nottinghamshire last year had no previous convictions or cautions, 14 per cent had one, 7 per cent had two and 7 per cent had three or more.

Fewer offenders jailed for knife crime in Nottinghamshire