Community knife amnesty launched in Reading
Secure knife bins have been placed across the town
Thames Valley Police and Reading Borough Council have launched a community knife amnesty with bins placed across Reading.
Six community knife amnesty bins have been installed at locations across Reading to help tackle knife crime. The bins will offer members of the public the opportunity to do the right thing for their communities by safely and anonymously disposing of knives and bladed articles.
The amnesty bins will be in the following locations:
Waitrose Car Park, Caversham
Cintra Park
Coley Park Community Centre
Kensington Park
Orts Road
Tilehurst Triangle
The secure amnesty bins, which are bolted to walls and concrete flooring, have a letter box design to allow knife deposits whilst stopping people reaching inside the bins. They will be closely monitored, with contents carefully disposed of regularly. Reading Borough Council will be managing this as part of its drive to make communities safer and take a stand against anti-social behaviour. The Anti-Social Behaviour Team also recently launched the ‘Reportable App’ which allows residents to report anti-social behaviour problems more easily.
Superintendent Dave Turton, Local Police Area Commander for Reading, said:
“Knife crime remains a key priority for both Thames Valley Police and Reading Borough Council and this is just one example of the work that we are doing together to prevent and reduce this type of crime.
“By making these amnesty bins more accessible to the public, we can remove more dangerous knives off our streets.”
Councillor Adele Barnett-Ward, Lead Member for Neighbourhoods and Communities, said:
“Sadly, our community has seen first-hand the devastation caused by knife crime. We will never forget the lives we have lost and we need to work together to prevent more tragic losses. If you or someone you know carries a knife, please use the amnesty bins to hand it in. Save a life: dump the knife.”
For more information on knife crime and details on the support services available, please visit Reading Borough Council’s knife crime web page.