Hampshire police to get more than £611,000 to tackle Portsmouth knife crime as commissoner hails 'tireless' officers
Knife crime in Hampshire is reportedly dropping off - but Donna Jones says “there’s always more to be done.”
More than £600,000 is being invested into tackling knife crime in Hampshire, with a particular focus on Portsmouth.
Police and crime commissioner Donna Jones has announced that more than £611,000 will be pumped into Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, allocated from the government’s Knife Crime Concentration Fund.
It comes as figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show that there were 940 knife offences in Hampshire in 2025 - the lowest level of police-recorded knife offences in the county since 2015.
While it’s unconfirmed how the money will be spent, it will be invested into both Portsmouth and Southampton, where Ms Jones said there are still a high number of incidents.
“Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary is one of the best performing forces in the country when it comes to tackling knife crime,” she said. “While other forces are seeing significant increases in incidents, here they have reduced by 27.3 per cent since 2023. But there’s always more to be done.
“Officers are working tirelessly to reduce this epidemic and we have already seen the difference increasing hotspot patrols has had on reducing crime here.
“This funding will only strengthen that resolve by putting extra officers on the streets, offering reassurance to people living in Portsmouth and Southampton that serious violence will not be tolerated.”
Despite the drop in offending, there have still been some high-profile instances of knife crime. For example, in March this year Anwar Ashraf, 38 and previously from Southsea, was found guilty of attempted murder after stabbing his ex-girlfriend 17 times at an office block in Whiteley. He will be sentenced on Friday, June 5.
Ms Jones added: “Sadly we’ve seen only too recently, both locally and nationally, the devastation knife crime can cause to communities and I’m committed to working alongside our police force to ensure we can live our lives safely here without fear.
“I have long stated that early intervention is vital and it’s why I continue to invest over a million pounds a year in my Violence Reduction Unit to work alongside partner organisations like Youth Services to identify and disrupt those who may be harming or exploiting vulnerable young people and drawing them into violence and to support those who may have already decided to pick up a knife.”