The number of knife offences dealt with by courts in Dyfed and Powys has increased, new figures show.

It comes as the number of convictions across England continued to rise, figures the Ben Kinsella Trust said "should concern us all".

New figures from the Ministry of Justice show there were 108 knife and offensive weapon offences dealt with by the Criminal Justice System in Dyfed and Powys in the year to June.

This was more than the 90 a year earlier, but slightly less than the 111 in 2015.

Across England and Wales, there were 20,734 knife and offensive weapon offences formally dealt with by the courts over the same period.

This was a 3% increase on the previous year, and a 24% increase over the last decade.

The data also shows the proportion of offenders receiving an immediate custodial sentence for a knife and offensive weapon offence was 31%, a slight decrease on 32% the year before.

It comes after separate figures from the Office for National Statistics showed the number of knife-enabled crimes reported by the police across England and Wales fell by 1% in the year to March.

Patrick Green, chief executive of The Ben Kinsella Trust, said: "The rising number of people appearing in court for knife offences – and the worrying upward trend among 10-17-year-olds – should concern us all.

"These figures show that more cases are progressing through the justice system, reflecting better enforcement efforts but also highlight the persistent challenge of stopping knife carrying.

"These figures stand in contrast to data released by the Office for National Statistics last month, which showed overall knife crime incidents are falling, with fewer recorded offences and a decline in serious outcomes such as homicides and hospital admissions.

"This contrast suggests progress in reducing the most severe harm, but it also underlines the need for urgent, coordinated action."

Last week the National Police Chiefs' Council announced a new National Knife Crime Coordination Centre will be launched next year, which would provide a specialist central team to support police forces to tackle knife crime.

Funded by the Home Office, it aims to halve knife crime in 10 years, by coordinating policing activity and tackling illegal 'grey market' knife sellers and importers.

It follows a Metropolitan Police pilot to tackle offenders who use the internet to sell and distribute weapons online, circumventing traditional retailers and existing legal safeguards.

Commander Stephen Clayman, who will lead the centre, said the initiative was already seeing "positive results".

"We have always said that tackling knife crime needs a collaborative approach and through the centre we will have the capability and expertise to bring genuine change," he added.

"One example is our work with tech companies around knife sellers using their platforms; by developing those relationships we can work together to not only remove harmful content but ensure it doesn’t end up on those sites in the first place."

A Government spokesperson said: "This Government is determined to halve knife crime and we are pursuing that mission relentlessly, doing everything we can to get these weapons off our streets and out of the hands of criminals.

"We are making progress, with knife murders down 18%, and knife crime overall falling too. We’re introducing tougher laws, smarter enforcement and better prevention.

"But we know there is more to do and we won’t stop until we meet our goal and the job is done."