More than 100 incidents involving weapons have been reported to police this year.
From January until August – the latest data available on Police.UK – 109 ‘possession of a weapon’ offences were reported to Thames Valley Police in Oxford City Centre alone.
The data comes after three separate knife attacks in the city over the last two weeks, leaving communities ‘frightened’.
In the latest incident, on Tuesday night, a man was stabbed in Blackbird Leys Park.
He then walked through Gillian’s Park before emergency services raced to his aid.
Read more about the attack here>>>
On Monday, police launched a murder investigation in Botley after a man was stabbed to death inside a house on Pinnocks Way.
Only a week before, another murder investigation was launched in Barton when 39-year-old Lee Butler was stabbed to death.
Earlier this month police appealed after two others were stabbed in Abingdon and Bicester.
Police have since confirmed that none of the stabbings in Oxford are linked and have reassured residents that the force is ‘committed’ to tackling knife crime.
Superintendent Bruce Riddell pledged to ramp up the police presence across Oxford in the wake of the attacks, saying: “In addition to our operational response, we continue to work closely with the Violence Reduction Unit and other partners, including Oxford City Council, to implement early intervention programmes and strive to prevent incidents such as these from taking place.”
You can see all of the incidents mapped, using Police.UK data, here:
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