Essex Police seize 14 knives, and 791 kg of weapons
They made ten arrests and organised 25 weapon sweeps as part of Operation Sceptre
Essex Police have seized nearly 791 kg of weapons, including knives and knuckle dusters during their a week of action (15-21 October) as part of a national effort to drive down the rates of knife crime.
They organised intelligence-led weapons raids and sweeps, as well as community awareness programs to lead discussions on the issue. We caught up with Detective Inspector James Healy, from the Serious Violence Unit.
"There is never a situation where it is acceptable or justifiable to carry a knife for your own protection. What I would really urge anyone who does that to do, it to consider the consequences it will bring if that knife was used in a violent crime", he says.
The haul seized adds to the 90 weapons they had already taken off the streets earlier this year. DI Healy says, " If people are prepared to carry knives, they should expect that the police will intervene and put them in front of courts which will lead to custodial sentences."
Another aspect of the campaign is to highlight the important role that the wider public can play in helping stop knife crime. "The police cannot simply arrest our way out of this problem. We rely on our communities, in partnership, to highlight those individuals that they have concerns around", DI Healy says.
He adds that any success they have had in dealing with knife crime, which is commonly associated with drug trade and gang violence, is through the inputs provided by members of the public. " When you see results like that number of weapons taken away, or large quantities of cash and drugs taken off the street, it shows the real, tangible away that communities are helping us tackle and reduce the rates of the crime."
Often, people are hesitant to report about their peers or family members or people in their neighbourhood being involved in knife crime. To that, DI Healy says, "I understand that people sometimes have a reluctance to do that, but we will offer protection and safeguarding around people who are worried
"But what we absolutely need that information. It is only the community, together with ourselves and our other partners that can really do something to reduce the scourge of violent crime."
Young people represent a large number of those involved in knife crime. DI Healy explains: "The Essex Violence and Vulnerability Unit is a multi agency partnership where we work with the local authority and our partners in health care and other sectors to try to divert people away from knife crime and from the drug dealing as well.
"We recognize that this is a huge area and has a huge impact on communities throughout the county."