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

There were 137 weapons possession offences between July 2017 and this June, according to data by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

These can include handguns, knives and even corrosive acid.

That figure is up 34% on 2016-17, when 102 incidents were recorded.

The statistics are based on crimes reported to the police, and the ONS urges caution in interpreting some of these figures.

Some offences go unreported while others may be more numerous due to a change in the focus of the police or greater public attention.

However, the ONS said recorded crime figures are reliable for lower volume offences, such as possession of a knife or a gun.

The rise was reflected nationally.

Across England and Wales there was a 9% increase in offences with knives or sharp objects, leading to the highest number of incidents since March 2011, when comparable records started.

The number of recorded homicides - murders and manslaughters - also rose, by 14%, reflecting an “upward trend” since 2014. These figures excluded people who died in terror attacks.

Joe Traynor, of 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 Dartford and Gravesham increased between July 2017 and June 2018. Over the 12 month, period 25,416 crimes were recorded, up by 24% on 2016-17.

That means there is a crime for at least one in every 10 residents in Dartford and Gravesham, well above average for England and Wales.

There were 1,140 residential burglaries reported in Dartford and Gravesham.

There have been no homicides.