People in Rutland urged 'not to become complacent' when it comes to knife crime
We've been speaking to the force as part of a national anti-knife crime awareness week which's currently underway
People living in Rutland are being urged 'not to become complacent' when it comes to knife crime.
We've been speaking to the police force there as part of a week-long anti-knife crime campaign, which's currently underway across the country.
Detective Chief Inspector Gavin Drummond's been telling us how they've approached things so far:
"We've deployed young people into shops in an effort to buy knives.
"The great news for the residents of Rutland is that when we did that earlier this week, there wasn't an opportunity to purchase any knives.
"I'm pleased to say that knife crime remains low in Rutland, as does criminality as a whole.
"However, what I would say is that knife crime does still exist in Rutland, albeit not to the levels of other places across Leicestershire, but we still have to try our best to keep on top of it."
Meanwhile, Grace Strong's from Leicestershire Police's violence reduction network says nothing positive can come from carrying a knife:
"By deciding to carry a knife, you're obviously breaking the law, which risks arrest and of course going to court and getting a sentence.
"This will obviously include the possibility of going to prison, which will inevitably lead a criminal record, which could harm your job prospects and the ability to travel abroad.
"There's also a risk that the nice will be used, and this can have devastating consequences for everybody involved.
"We often describe it as the ripple effect, so as well as the immediate impact on the victim and all those consequences for the offender, there's also far reaching consequences for their families, friends and the wider community as well."
The anti-knife crime awareness week, which is also known as Operation Sceptre, is set to run until the end of this week.