KNIFE crime seems rarely out of the news nowadays.

Here at the Gazette we put in a freedom of information request with Essex Police and what came back was concerning, to say the least.

The figures are rather stark.

Put simply, the number of incidents involving a knife, or bladed weapon, were 129 in 2012 compared to 258 last year.

The crime has exactly doubled at a time when pressures on our police force have never been so severe.

An Essex Police spokesman was keen to emphasise how the county remains a safe place to live, and noted how the increase was in fact below national and regional levels.

So. It’s bad here, but don’t worry it’s worse elsewhere... Not exactly comforting.

MP Jackie Doyle-Price points the finger at organised crime fuelled by drug takers being the ongoing catalyst for the escalation in knife crime.

Meanwhile, councillors have come out talking about how prevention is better than cure, and the key to reducing such crime. Again, not hugely comforting.

The public needs to know details of action plans to combat this rising menace, and how they are likely to be effective.

The simple facts are that the latest statistics suggest it won’t be too long before there is a knife crime every single day in this borough.

That can’t be allowed to happen. More reassurance and specifics about how that will be avoided are needed.