GREATER Manchester has seen crime plummet by 10 per cent - but still suffers the third highest number of knife attacks in the country.

Police in the region dealt with 2,294 serious knife offences last year - more than anywhere else bar London and Birmingham.

And more than half of all firearms offences nationwide occurred in only three forces - Greater Manchester, West Midlands and London.

However, the latest Home Office statistics show that overall crime rates in Greater Manchester have been slashed by 10 per cent - one per cent better than the national figures.

Although statistics are published every year, it is the first time they show the true extent of knife crime.

Government ministers and police chiefs have vowed tough action on those who carry weapons following a spate of tragic knifings, including most recently the death of a Paul Gilligan in a Bolton pub.

Police forces around the country recorded 22,000 serious offences involving knives last year - with 7,428 woundings, attempted murder and robberies taking place in London.

In Manchester there were 20 attempted murder cases , 915 cases of wounding, and 1,359 robberies all involving bladed weapons.

Although the most cases were happening in big cities, it was also a serious problem in a number of rural areas with 224 reported cases in Cheshire and 361 in Lancashire.

Measures

Earlier this week, the government unveiled a series of measures to steer young people away from violent crime including plans for a voluntary national service scheme.

Despite attempts to curb guns, there was a two per cent rise in the number of firearms offences nationally although regional figures would not be made available until next year.

Assistant Chief Constable Dave Thompson acknowledged knives were a problem but said there had been no significant rise in cases over recent months.

He said: "Knife crime accounts for about five per cent of the woundings which happen in Greater Manchester, but although we did have a fatal stabbing at the weekend, we have certainly not experienced the level of knife related attacks among young people which have been experienced elsewhere in the country recently."

Referring to the overall reduction in crime he added: "A lot of the problems we have are akin to those of any other big city. But unlike other forces we do deal with a wide spread of issues including a lot of serious and organised crime which we have had a great deal of success in tackling."

In previous years the force has come under attack for its comparatively poor detection rates, but ACC Thompson said a lot of work had been done to increase the numbers of crimes police solved.

He said detection rates now stood at 25 per cent, a ten per cent improvement on five years ago but still towards the bottom of the league table.

Graham Stringer, MP for Manchester Blackley, repeated calls for colleges and schools in some areas to step up searches for hidden weapons on young people.

He said: "The police need to focus very clearly on disrupting some of the gangs that as routine carry knives and or guns, there has been a necessary focus on terrorism but this has meant less resources for disrupting gangs.

"Institutions, particularly in areas where there are high numbers of incidents involving young people carrying knives, need to detect or search for knives on a routine basis to act as a deterrent.

Sceptical

"I am sceptical about the quality of these statistics but it is not a surprise that Greater Manchester as an urban area has high level of knife crime, although crime as a whole seems to be decreasing. More younger people, children really, seem to be carrying knives and this is a real concern. It is a concern that the focus on knives could be making young people think of them as a fashion accessory."

Gordon Brown, commenting on the first ever statistics on knife crime, said he wanted to make carrying a blade as unacceptable as having a gun on the streets.

"It's because we have identified the problem of knife crime, particularly in some hot spots, that we have stepped up our action dramatically," said the Prime Minister.

He added that more stop-and-search powers, more visible policing and metal detectors, along with tougher sentences, sent a clear message to people that if they are caught with a knife they will be prosecuted.

"If you have a knife you will be punished and we will do everything in our power to prevent people having knives," said Mr Brown.

Angela Lawrence from Manchester Mothers Against Violence said: "Education does work we have proved that in Manchester but we need more resources to work with more young people and their parents. We do also need a deterrent, they need to know if they arm themselves and go out, the consequences could be fatal and they could also face tough punishments including prison if they are caught.

"Manchester has had more of a problem with guns than with knives so police have been right to focus on guns but these figures show they need to look at knives too."

The statistics also show Greater Manchester is the worst place in England and Wales for car crime despite the fact that police have worked to reduce it by more than a fifth. Nearly 12,500 vehicles were stolen last year.

However, there were sharp drops in violent crime, with the number of cases down by 12 per cent last year. Both robbery and burglary are down by nine per cent - however 62 per cent of all robberies in the country still took place in London, Birmingham or Manchester areas.

Criminal damage has been reduced by 16 per cent. Sexual crimes are down by four per cent, with 3014 cases reported.