London, April 26: Knife attacks increased by 22 per cent in England and Wales in 2017.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Thursday that the figures showed an 11 per cent increase in firearms offences, reports the BBC.

The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) said most types of crime stayed at similar levels to 2016.

It added that eight-in-10 adults had not experienced any crimes asked about in the survey throughout 2017.

Recorded homicides were also up by 9 per cent in 2017, to 653 from 599 the previous year.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the rise in these violent incidents was "unacceptably high" and they were "a national problem that required national solutions from the government".

"Today's figures show that, for most types of offence, the picture of crime has been fairly stable, with levels much lower than the peak seen in the mid-1990s," noted Alexa Bradley of the ONS' Crime Statistics and Analysis department. 

"We have seen an increase in the relatively rare, but 'high-harm' violent offences such as homicide, knife crime and gun crime, a trend that has been emerging over the previous two years," Bradley added.

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Bengaluru: A 21-year-old ward helper at the Jayadeva Hospital in Bengaluru has been arrested for allegedly recording videos of female staff member inside a women’s washroom. The suspect, identified as Yallalinga, a native of Kalaburagi, was employed as a contractual helper at the hospital in Tilaknagar.

The incident came to light on October 31 morning, when a female hospital employee found a mobile phone placed on the windowsill in the basement washroom. After unlocking the phone, she was horrified to find video recordings of herself, as reported by Deccan Herald on Tuesday.

When she came out, the suspect approached her and claimed that the mobile was his and asked for it back. She refused and began calling for help. The hospital staff caught Yallalinga, who was later handed over to the police.

The Tilaknagar police registered a case under Section 77 (voyeurism) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act. During questioning, Yallalinga claimed he had mistakenly left his phone in the washroom, citing an emergency.

However, investigators noted inconsistencies, indicating the recordings told a different story. “We have continued the probe. Prima facie, it appears that it is his first offence of such nature,” police officer was quoted as saying by the publication.

Meanwhile, Yallalinga was granted bail by a local court.

The hospital has suspended him pending an investigation by the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) Committee.