text: Latest stabbings highlight Cornwall and Devon's rising knife crime issue - Cornwall Live
  A 20-year-old man was stabbed to death last weekend
  It's no secret that the country is battling somewhat of a knife crime epidemic.
  The latest figures released in July 2019 show that knife crime in England and Wales rose by 11% year on year, the highest since comparable records began in 2011.
  While the Devon and Cornwall police force area remains one of the safest in the country when it comes to volume of offences, knife crime in the region is rising at a rate above the national average.
  In 2018-19, police recorded 440 serious crimes involving knives or sharp instruments in the two counties - up 11 per cent from the year before.
  Last weekend a 20-year-old man was died of stab wounds in Liskeard, reigniting the debate over knife crime.
  Carl Smythe, 45, has been charged with alleged murder and will appear at Truro Crown Court on February 20, when it is expected he'll enter pleas.
  In November, 47-year-old Jessica Stunell attempted to murder a man with a knife in Falmouth, while also admitting causing GBH with intent after stabbing a woman. Stunell will be sentenced at Truro Crown Court later this month.
  Despite these latest incidents, the level of knife related fatalities in Devon and Cornwall has remained steady since 2014, with an average of three deaths a year,
  Worryingly, almost half of knife crime offences are carried out by those aged 24 and under. According to the children's charity Barnardo's, knife crime will be among the biggest threats to the safety of our youngsters over the next decade.
  So what is being done about knife crime on a local level?
  Police say they are using a mixture of stop searches, metal detecting wands, school visits and amnesties to tackle the enduring problem.
  Samurai swords and fantasy swords were among 390 bladed articles to be handed over to the police during a knife amnesty in 2018 (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)
  The annual Operation Sceptre initiative uses surrender bins, stop-and-search and weapons sweeps in a concerted crackdown on knife crime.
  Last March, the operation resulted in 367 weapons being handed into police stations across Devon and Cornwall.
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  Following last year's week-long operation, Supt Jacqueline Hawley, head of the Devon, Cornwall and Dorset Police Alliance Prevention Department said: "As has been previously stated, recorded instances of knife crime remain very low in Devon and Cornwall, some of the lowest recorded rates nationally.
  In addition, metal detecting wands have been used at various licensed premises in East Devon.
  Supt Jacqueline Hawley added that the response to the carrying of knives is not a single agency approach.
  "Police share information consistently with partners where vulnerability is identified in order that collaboratively agencies can put interventions in place which reduce risks of offending," she said.