YESTERDAY'S stabbing outside a supermarket in Headington was the latest in a number of major incidents involving knives in the city in recent weeks. 

The attack, which left a woman in hospital, came less than two weeks after a young man was killed in a stabbing in Southfield Road, east Oxford. 

Police have launched an attempted murder investigation and arrested a 30-year-old man from Oxford. 

Oxford Mail:

Some have warned of a 'complete storm' and a 'national emergency' due to the rise in knife attacks. 

Parliamentary debates have been held on the issue and police have launched a campaign to rid the city of knives. 

But how bad is the current situation and what more can be done about it? 

What do the stats say?

Thames Valley Police published crime statistics for Oxford in January, before the most recent incidents. 

These covered the whole of last year and can be compared to previous years to judge whether more of these types of crimes were reported. 

There was a stark increase in offences involving violence with injury last year. 

In 2018, 1,370 were recorded compared to 1,155 the year before - a 18.6 per cent increase. 

Oxford Mail:

There was also an increase in possession of weapons offences but it wasn't as large as you might think.

In 2018 there were 137 recorded in Oxford with 126 the year before - a 8.7 per cent increase. 

What do experts think?

Oxford judge Peter Ross warned of a ‘complete storm’ of knife attacks as he jailed a 16-year-old for brutally slashing a man with a 12inch knife in Cowley last week.

This came after a gang of men admitted stabbing a man in his 30s in a Blackbird Leys Park last year.

Judge Ross warned there was a nationwide ‘maelstrom’ of similar acts of violence.

In the case the 16-year old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, the victim was left with life-long injuries after the attack in a park off Barns Road on May 27.

Thames Valley Police's former Chief Constable Sara Thornton has said the surge in knife crime across the country is a ‘national emergency.’

The force's head of major crime Detective Superintendent Ian Hunter told the Oxford Mail earlier this year that it was braced for more incidents involving knives. 

What are police doing?

All this week, Thames Valley Police has been attempting to crackdown on knife crime as part of its Operation Spectre campaign.

A knife amnesty is being run with people encouraged to hand in any blades with no questions asked.

Previous initiatives have seen more than 100 blades handed in at police stations.

Officers have also been recovering blades from bushes and undergrowth in known problem areas across the city.

Mr Hunter said he wanted to see an increased use of stop and search powers to deter people from carrying weapons.

The sometimes controversial tactic has been used far less in the last decade due to declining numbers of officers and changes in policy.