Police launch fresh knife amnesty as part of Home Office crackdown

Members of the public are being encouraged to hand-in unwanted knives as part of a national knife surrender.

Surrender bins will be in place at Worcester, Hereford, Redditch, Kidderminster, Malinsgate and Monkmoor Police Stations and any unwanted knife or bladed weapon can be deposited with 'no questions asked'.

Each policing area will also have a Knife Arch which will be in place at key locations such as train stations and local schools to highlight the steps police are taking to prevent people from carrying a knife in public.

Community sweeps will take place to clear areas of discarded sharp objects that could potentially be used as a weapon.

This all comes as part of 'Operation Sceptre' which is being spearheaded by the Home Office to help continue ongoing efforts to tackle knife crime.

West Mercia Police’s knife crime lead and head of local policing, Chief Superintendent Paul Moxley, said: "Fortunately, we do not experience the same levels of knife crime in our towns and cities as we have seen in other parts of the country, however that doesn’t mean we are complacent.

"We know it does happen and it is vital we take the appropriate steps to prevent young people from carrying a knife and prevent crimes involving knives.

"We have increased the number of officers in our teams who specifically take on an early intervention and intervention role with children and young people across the force area.

"I firmly believe early intervention is crucial in deterring young people from becoming involved in a knife culture.

"For the past two years, our successful ‘Steer Clear’ programme has helped young people involved in, or on the periphery of being involved in, knife crime find an alternative route and we deliver this programme across our three counties.

"One knife incident, one person hurt, is one too many and the more we do to stop knives getting into the wrong hands and being used in crime the better."

Figures show that 600 'serious' knife crimes including seven murders, 277 assaults and 19 knife-related rapes or sexual offences were documented in West Mercia last year.

This represents a significant drop from the 733 crimes involving a knife or sharp weapon recorded by West Mercia Police in 2019-20.

Despite the drop, the number of offences is still almost double the 313 registered in 2012-13, when comparable records were first published.

During Operation Sceptre, which will run until Sunday, November 21, officers will be working to raise awareness of the dangers of carrying a knife and speaking to children and young people where possible.

Anyone who is concerned a young person is involved in or on the periphery of becoming involved in knife crime and carrying a knife can report this anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.