460 knives surrendered in Hampshire during one week
The results from the latest 'Op Sceptre' have been revealed
Hampshire's top police boss has revealed that 460 knives have been surrendered in just one week in the county, during a national campaign.
Police and crime commissioner (PCC) Donna Jones revealed that during the ‘Op Sceptre’ week, the national knife crime campaign, 460 knives were surrendered across Hampshire county.
These knives were surrendered in one of the 25 knife surrender bins installed around the districts to provide a safe way for the public to anonymously dispose of knives and offensive weapons.
PCC Jones said that a mixture of people use the bins, and it is not only related to youth crime and the increase of young people carrying a knife as a weapon.
The Conservative PCC said: “It is a mixture. Parents, children, care workers, foster parents, it’s a whole load of people and also even not related to young people as well. Just if you’ve got knives in your house and you think I’ve bought some new knives now, how to get rid of an old life and it’s not safe to put it into a black sack because someone can hurt themselves and they’re picking it up.
“Over 460 surrendered across Hampshire in one week during ‘Op Sceptre’ week in May.”
The bins are part of a wider violence reduction strategy by police and councils using community engagement and early intervention initiatives to tackle crime.