The number of people caught with guns and knives in Merton has increased by more than a third, according to the latest police recorded crime statistics.

There were 122 weapons possession offences between July 2017 and June 2018, according to data by the Office for National Statistics. These can include hand guns, knives and even corrosive acid.

That figure is up 36 per cent on 2016-17, when 90 incidents were recorded.

Joe Traynor, from the ONS Centre for Crime and Justice, said: "Over recent decades, we've seen continued falls in overall levels of crime but in the last year the trend has been more stable.

"We saw rises in some types of theft and in some lower-volume but higher-harm types of violence."

Overall, police recorded crime in Merton slightly increased between July 2017 and June 2018.

Over the 12 month, period 13,625 crimes were recorded, up by 2 per cent on 2016-17.

That means there was a rate of 66 crimes per 1,000 residents during 2017-18, below the England and Wales average of 84.

Commenting on the national figures, Chief Constable Bill Skelly, of the National Police Chiefs' Council, said: "Rising crime is placing greater demand on policing, as forces strive to reduce crime as well as respond to a growing terrorist threat.

"There are also more calls from the public for help, including responding to people in crisis when other agencies lack their own capacity."