KNIFE-crime reoffending rates in the region have reached a record high, new figures reveal.

Data from the Ministry of Justice shows that 753 knife and offensive weapon offenders were dealt with in West Yorkshire in the year up to March.

Of those, 214 had a previous conviction or caution, meaning 28.4 per cent were repeat offenders.

The total is up from 26.4 per cent the year before, and the highest since records began 10 years ago.

Across England and Wales, 31.5 per cent of knife and offensive weapon offenders had a previous conviction or caution – the highest rate since 2014.

The Ben Kinsella Trust, which campaigns against knife crime, said the rate of reoffending shows investing in rehabilitation is crucial rather than “simply locking people up”.

West Yorkshire Police say they're working hard to reduce knife crime, including reoffending.

Operation Jemlock was set up in 2019, in a bid to tackle knife and serious violent crime head-on.

It involves officers patrolling high-priority areas to provide reassurance to communities, with enforcement when required.

The unit to date has made more than 11,000 arrests and recovered over 2,000 weapons.

And five new state-of-the-art knife detectors are being deployed across West Yorkshire before the end of the summer, with funding from the West Yorkshire Violence Reduction Partnership.

Detective Chief Superintendent Lee Berry, director of the partnership, says: "We have a strong focus on rehabilitation and reoffending across our many interventions, programmes and projects, which have reached 100,000 children and young people since 2019.

"For instance, the West Yorkshire Youth Commission, which we established early last year, has identified this as a priority theme in its ‘Big Conversation’ report.

"We're now working closely with the commission to deliver a partnership response to its findings and recommendations."

Patrick Green, chief executive of the Ben Kinsella Trust, said: “The increasing number of repeat offenders with regard to knife crime convictions is alarming.

"Investment in rehabilitation is crucial, rather than simply locking people up, to break the cycle of reoffending that the figures expose."

The Ministry of Justice says the Government is dedicated to halving knife crime within a decade.

A spokesperson said: “First steps will include making sure the tightest restrictions are in place to limit the sale of dangerous weapons, and banning ninja swords."

The Ben Kinsella Trust tackles knife crime through education work with young people, and campaigning.

For more details, visit benkinsella.org.uk