London, January 23 (RHC)-- New official figures show murders and killings in England and Wales have increased to their highest level in the last five years.

According to a data compiled by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), there was 14% rise in violent crimes in the year to September 1015.  A total 574 people were killed, an extra 71 compared to the previous year's figure.  It includes 75 deaths in June alone.

The data also shows a rise in overall reported crimes, up by 6% to 4.3 million offences in 2015.  An extra 185,666 offences means the annual total reached to more than 885,000 in England and Wales.

There was a 19% rise in attempted murders, but the ONS failed to comment whether such trend is growing. Knife crime was also up 9% with 27,487 offences, while gun crime was up 4% to 4,994.  ONS says a rise in crime reflects improvements in recording practice.

The data, based on crimes reported to police departments, says there does appear to be a genuine increase in offences involving knives.  The compilers said, however, that the police accounts on murders and killings could not be explained as many of these incidents were linked to an upturn in the economy meaning more people drinking and getting into fights.