A SHOP manager who was stabbed in a robbery has called for more police on the beat after figures revealed a rise in knife crime.

Mehul Raiyani has been the victim of two robberies at the Lower Bevendean Post Office, Brighton, this year.

In January, a gang of youths vaulted over the counter while he was working alone. He was stabbed in the leg during a struggle.

Then in April Ashley Hill stole beer, then threatened Mr Raiyani before holding up a staff member at knifepoint and taking cash from the till.

The 29-year-old, of St Catherine’s Terrace, Hove, was jailed for four years.

Mr Raiyani’s fears follow an apparent 16 per cent rise in knife crimes in Sussex.

Research from the Press Association found there was a rise from 853 recorded knife crimes in 2017 to 2018 compared with 990 in the same period of 2018 to 2019.

Police chiefs say tackling knife crime is a priority and more officers are being recruited.

Mr Raiyani said: “It is scary, this is my own business which I have put everything into, this is my life.

“I was alone when the first robbery happened. I have had to make sure there are more staff here.

“We need to see more police. I never see a police patrol car driving around. I think we need more police on the street.”

He has called for tougher sentences for those convicted of knife crime.

Previously, Brighton and Hove’s three MPs signed a joint letter to the Home Office calling for a taskforce to tackle violent crime in the city.

Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle said: “Constituents have been telling us they feel less safe in their communities. Urgent action must be taken, not just by the police, but in a joined up way to ensure knife crime does not get a foothold in the city.”

Assistant Chief Constable Julia Chapman said there was a five per cent rise in knife crime in Sussex from March 2018 to March 2019.

But she said the majority of crime rates in Sussex are well below the national average and “valuable work” is done to keep communities safe.

She said the force is working with youngsters in schools and colleges, adding: “They shouldn’t get caught up in peer pressure and believe they feel safer in possession of a knife.

“Carrying a knife makes you far more likely to be involved in a crime, whether you are the victim or the offender.”