45 weapons taken off Dorset's streets in knife campaign
Three arrests have been made during a week of action
Efforts to take knives and blades off Dorset's streets have been 45 weapons seized or surrendered in just a week.
That number includes 35 zombie style knives, which have recently been banned following a change in the law.
Dorset Police also made three arrests and carried out five sweeps in public places to check for weapons being hidden.
It's all been part of the latest Op Sceptre week - a national campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of knife crimes.
The county force went out to 19 schools during the operation, speaking to over 3,000 pupils.
Two knife-arches were also set up in the BCP area, with 200 people getting involved and officers passing on advice.
Chief Inspector Darren Harris, of BCP Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT), said:
“Dorset remains one of the safest places in the country to live, but we will continue with our proactive work to prevent and detect knife crime across the county.
“While enforcement remains an important part of tackling knife crime, a key priority of the Force is prevention. Some young people carry a knife because they think it will make them safer, but carrying a knife can in fact make them more vulnerable.
“We have been proactively addressing misconceptions such as these in providing education and engagement opportunities to local schools and discussing these common misconceptions around knife crime with the public at our knife-arch events.
“We will continue to work with our partners and the community to remove knives from the streets and encourage people to report any concerns they have about anyone carrying a knife in their community.”
Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner, David Sidwick, said:
“These results demonstrate our commitment to tackling knife crime in Dorset. While our county is a safe one with low rates of knife crime, tackling this offence alongside our partners is a key priority for myself and Dorset Police.
“In particular, I am delighted to see the number of school pupils across the county who received the knife crime education during this week. These presentations have been made more powerful than ever, thanks to videos on the impact of knife crime produced by my Office, and I thank members of the Safer Schools and Communities Team and specialist firearms officers for their hard work towards delivering these key messages to thousands of young people in Dorset.
“I’ve seen the devastation knife crime causes, and I want it to stop. That’s why I am dedicated to ensuring Dorset’s work to tackle knife crime alongside our partners and the community remains relentless.”