Knife crime in Nottinghamshire increased sharply during the latest year but remains below the peak recorded before the pandemic, new figures show.
Police recorded 917 serious offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in the year ending March 2026, up from 802 the previous year — an increase of 14.3%. However, analysis of a decade of Office for National Statistics data presents a more complex picture, with the latest total still almost 10% below the 2019 high of 1,016 offences.
The total rose from 665 in 2016 to 917 in 2026 — an increase of 252 offences, or 37.9%.
Offences climbed sharply between 2016 and 2019, reaching a ten-year high of 1,016.
They subsequently fell, particularly during the pandemic period.
After rising in 2022, the figure declined slightly for three consecutive years: from 828 in 2022 to 802 in 2025.
The latest year interrupted that gradual decline, rising by 115 offences to 917.
Despite that 14.3% annual increase, the 2026 figure remained 99 offences, or 9.7%, below the 2019 peak.
The 2026 figure was nevertheless the third highest in this ten-year series, behind 2019 and 2018.
For context, knife-enabled offences across England and Wales rose by approximately 49% over the same ten years, from 32,724 to 48,774. Nottinghamshire’s 37.9% increase was therefore smaller than the national rise. The East Midlands total rose by approximately 66%, from 2,048 to 3,398.
Important notes: the ONS series covers selected serious offences where a knife or sharp instrument was used to injure or threaten someone. It does not include simple knife-possession offences. The ONS also cautions that longer-term increases partly reflect improvements in police recording, so the 37.9% rise should not automatically be interpreted as an equivalent increase in underlying violence.
