New weapon surrender bins for Bristol
Two new bins are being installed today in Castle Park and Knowle
Two special bins, where people can get rid of dangerous weapons without the risk of being arrested, are being installed in Bristol today (3 April).
Avon and Somerset Police are installing them in Castle Park and at The Park Centre in Knowle, after requests for them from the local communities.
They allow people to hand knives or other weapons into the police in a bid to reduce crime.
The force already has 13 weapon surrender bins installed across the area, including in Bath, Keynsham and Weston Super Mare.
All of them are attached to police stations or shared police sites and local authority buildings.
Since 2016 the police say 4,000 weapons have been surrendered through them.
"This work is part of the force’s ongoing commitment to tackling knife crime within Avon and Somerset, and we are encouraging communities who are fearful of knife crime in their area to get in touch if they would like a weapon surrender bin to be installed in their local area," a statement from a police spokesperson reads.
A press event is being held this morning to show off the new bins which we are attending.
More follows.