20 arrests have been made after a week long knife crack down in Rutland
Leicestershire Police were part of the National Operation Sceptre
Last updated 21st Nov 2020
A week long crackdown on knife crime in Rutland has resulted in 20 arrests.
Leicestershire Police were part of the National Operation Sceptre, which targets those carrying weapons and aims to disrupt the supply of knives available to use.
10 knives were seized by officers, 20 were recovered during 15 knife sweeps across the county and a total of 370 knives were recorded in the knife surrender bins.
Officers also worked online on a digital knife crime awareness sessions, which were attended by 6,559 students and 322 professionals across 26 establishments.
The workshops acted as forum for pupils and teachers to discuss aspects that lead to potential knife carrying and explore preventative measures, advice and support.
Detective Superintendent Michelle Keen, of Leicestershire Police’s Violent Complex Crime Unit, said:
“This was part of a national campaign and given the Covid-19 guidelines, some operation activity has had to be scaled back.
“Despite this we are pleased to have been able to reach so many young people with our lives not knives messages, we have achieved this by working cross-functionally as a force but also through our continued collaboration with partners and the Violence Reduction Network in our joint commitment to tackle violent crime.
“We were keen to continue this operation and show those who carry knives that this remains a force priority and will not be tolerated.
“If you are looking for help and support, we want to emphasise that change is possible and there are resources available to adults and young people through our website. If you are a concerned family member or friend there are is also information on our website to help you, including multi-lingual flyers and a 10 step guide to starting a conversation with a young person.
“Carrying a knife, even for protective purposes, puts you at greater risk of becoming a victim yourself.”
Chief Inspector Manjit Atwal, who leads the force’s response to knife crime, added:
“Whilst our knife crime figures are down year on year we will continue to do everything we can to catch offenders and deal with them appropriately. Ultimately, knife crime will not be tolerated on our streets.”
Lord Willy Bach, Leicestershire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, said:
“Despite the current operational challenges resulting from Covid-19 Operation Sceptre proved a big success, highlighting the determination of the police and partners to really tackle knife crime. However, while last week’s action delivered tangible outcomes the work must, and to be fair does, continue all year round.
“We need long-term improvements and my focus has always been on prevention activity and to do this we must address the root causes of knife-related harm. The focus needs to be on early child development and early intervention and that’s why I set up the Violence Reduction Network. It’s a little over a year since the launch, so I’m proud to see its ambitious and innovative approaches, which I’m confident will change the mind-set of our young people and that of future generations, beginning to show positive results.”