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• In 2008, police reported nearly 23,500 victims of a violent crime committed with a knife, accounting for 6% of all violent incidents. Homicides and attempted murders had the highest proportion of incidents involving knives, at about one-third.
• Overall, the trend in the use of knives to commit violent crime has been stable for a decade. There have been slight drops in the use of knives to commit attempted murder, sexual assault and robbery, and a small increase in homicides committed with knives.
• The proportion of violent crime committed with knives in 2008 was highest in western Canada, similar to violent crime in general. Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan recorded the highest proportions of knife-related violent crime, whereas Prince Edward Island recorded the lowest.
• Among census metropolitan areas, knife violence was highest in Winnipeg, Regina and Edmonton, at about 10% of all violent crimes. Conversely, knives were least often used to commit violent crime in Kingston and Saguenay. Again, this pattern was similar to the highs and lows for violent crime in general.
• Youth and young adults (12 to 24 years of age) accounted for the largest proportion of those accused of knife-related violent crime, at over 7%. In general, the use of knives to commit crime decreases with increasing age.