Top officer praises public after overwhelming response to knife crime clampdown
A police chief has praised the public’s response to an action-packed week aimed at highlighting the dangers of knife crime – with more than 360 knives and other potentially dangerous items taken into police possession.
Last week, teams across the Force took part in Operation Sceptre – a coordinated effort to clampdown on knife crime and violence in our communities – very much building on the proactive work already under way to reduce the impact of this type of offending.
As part of their activity, officers carried out 26 weapons sweeps scanning areas for any dangerous items, visited 39 separate schools to educate pupils about the risks which come with carrying a knife, as well as visiting dozens of antique weapons collectors and enthusiasts.
Members of the public also turned out to hand over a total of 218 items into red surrender bins placed at stations across the Force area.
A total of 364 knives and other items have been taken into police possession through the combination of voluntary surrenders, visits to collectors and enforced seizures.
The positive response to the initiative has been praised by Assistant Chief Constable Neil Hutchison, who said it was great to see communities working with the Force to prevent and raise awareness of the devastating harm caused by knife crime.
He said: “There is no doubt that knife crime ruins lives, which is why we are determined to educate the public, and in particular young people, about the consequences which come with carrying a weapon.
“Our stance on knife crime and serious violence is unequivocal – it has absolutely no place in our region.
“This week of action has been extremely successful and we want to thank the public for their cooperation.
“It’s been pleasing to see so many people use our surrender bins and hand over a total of 218 items. We know the majority of people would never dream of carrying these items around with them but they will now be disposed of safely, ensuring they never run the risk of falling into the wrong hands.”
He added: “The activity undertaken as part of this initiative very much builds on the proactive work which takes place throughout the year to reduce the impact of knife crime.
“Thankfully, here in the North East we do see lower levels of knife crime than comparative areas of the country but we are not complacent – and are committed to playing our part in ensuring the streets we live and work remain safe.
“We would urge anybody who has any information about people going out with a weapon to come forward. Share that information with police, so we can act now.”
While the surrender is now over, you can still bring any unwanted weapons in your possession to your local station where it will be disposed of safely.
If you have information about someone who is in possession of a prohibited weapon, or want to report any suspicious activity, please get in touch with us using the Tell Us Something page on our website or report it to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111
Amazing work from our cadets!
Our incredible North Tyneside Police Cadets have been working hard to help us raise awareness of the consequences which come with carrying a weapon.
As part of Operation Sceptre – a team of 4 police cadets were sent out to shops across North Tyneside and Northumberland to carry out a series of test purchases supported by plain clothes police officers.
The visits were aimed at checking whether retailers were enforcing the no ‘ id no knife and Challenge 25’ policy, ensuring compliance with the relevant legislation in place to protect young people from serious harm.
Out of the 18 premises visited, 15 correctly identified our underage volunteers and refused the sale. Only three failed to ask our 16-year-old cadets for any identification.
The cadets contribution was vital in helping the Force to raise awareness of knife crime in all areas.
This was a very positive operation which gave us a great opportunity to engage and educate retailers about what can happen if just one knife falls into the wrong pair of hands.
It’s great to see so many shops taking positive action and putting the right measures in place to keep people safe.
The test purchases were just one of many activities being carried out last week as part of Operation Sceptre in the Northumbria Police area.