172 knives recovered in Devon and Cornwall following police crackdown
The force took part in Operation Sceptre, a national initiative to tackle knife crime
172 knives have been removed from circulation in Devon and Cornwall following a week-long police operation.
Devon and Cornwall Police took part in Operation Sceptre from Monday 13 November to Sunday 19 November 2023 - a national initiative to tackle knife crime.
The themes for this phase of Sceptre were on online knife retailers and responsible selling, raising awareness to parents and care givers to ensure they are aware of what packages are being sent to young people at home and educating young people about the dangers of knife carrying.
For the first time, the Force introduced the use of a mobile knife arch to engage with the public and provide education to prevent knife carrying.
In addition to the use of the knife arch, activity for the week across Devon and Cornwall included test purchases of knives with local retailers, targeting known knife carriers and providing knife surrender bins at various locations across the two counties.
The Force achieved the following results:
- 172 knives removed from circulation (including 152 from knife surrender bins, 5 from weapons sweeps, 15 from seizures)
- 35 school and college visits
- 20 retailer visits
- 10 addresses visited where purchase of offensive weapons had been traced to
- 5 stop and searches
- 3 knife arch engagement events in Exeter, Plymouth and Torquay (over 1100 people went through the arch)
Assistant Chief Constable Steve Parker of Devon and Cornwall Police said: "You can see from these results that we take knife crime very seriously. In addition to the enforcement activity undertaken, we have carried out lots of prevention work through our engagement and education efforts.
"We remain in a position as a force where knife carrying is the exception rather than the norm – however, continued awareness raising and targeted activity helps to challenge perceptions of knife crime and identifies and prosecutes those who cause harm.
"By providing education and engagement in schools and colleges we hope to prevent young people from carrying knives. It’s a common misconception that carrying a knife makes you safer, but this isn’t true and could in fact put young people in more danger.
"Devon and Cornwall remains one of the safest places to live in the country and the Force will continue to provide a robust approach to knife-enabled crime to keep our communities safe."