Salisbury knives amnesty hit by Covid-19 again
Police in the city join Operation Sceptre a national knife crime campaign
Last updated 26th Apr 2021
This week Salisbury Police are taking part in Operation Sceptre, a national week of action raising awareness of, and tackling, knife crime.
Officers are likely to be patrolling known hot-spots around the city and targeting those who are suspected of carrying knives illegally.
But there will not be the usual form of a knives amnesty or any 'amnesty bins' placed at Police stations. This is because of the coronavirus pandemic.
PC Jack Billington spoke about this recently during a live Q&A session on Facebook:
"Unfortunately we can't have a knives amnesty and we can't put out our knife bins this year because of Covid."
"But if you're looking for somewhere to dispose of knives you can just put them in your bin now. It's still advisable to make sure they are packaged securely so they don't cause any injury to anyone who has to handle that refuse once you've got rid of it."
"With the introduction of wheelie-bins a lot of it is done by machine so the likelihood of injury to anybody has been reduced... even if you bins are collected by machine it's still advisable to package them when you throw them away."
Another suggestion is to take any unwanted knives or blades to your local tip (Household Recycling Centre) where there is usually a scrap metal skip where they can be disposed of safely.
Usually as part of Operation Sceptre they would host community consultations with the public and visit local schools in order to educate people about knife-related crime. However during the whole of lockdown they've not been able to which is why they have hosted live Q&A session on their Facebook Page.
MARCIN ZDUN - SALISBURY KNIFE MURDERS
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), in the 12 months to September 2020 there were 248 knife related murders across the UK.
Salisbury Police spoke about the figures during last week's Facebook live Q&A.
PC Jack Billington touched on the city's horror after Marcin Zdun killed his wife and teenage daughter:
"Unfortunately we did have two of those (knife-related murders) happen in Salisbury last year, however despite that, we are still a safe part of a relatively safe county when it comes to knife crime."
"The chances of being attacked or threatened by a stranger with a knife is relatively low."
YOUNG PEOPLE AND KNIFE CRIME
Although Wiltshire Police aim to reassure the local community that the county continues to be a safe county, they know that this is subject which raises concerns.
Knives is a particular concern among the parents and carers of young people and teenagers.
The force says there's been a particularly '_worrying trend '_of younger people carrying knives in Swindon.
Chief Constable Kier Pritchard said:
“Tackling violent crime and keeping people safe is a priority for this Force and we have various teams of police officers and staff who are working diligently to make this happen."
“I want you to have confidence in Wiltshire Police, and I particularly want you to have the confidence to speak to us about what is happening in your local community. "
“Preventing violent crime, specifically the issue of young people carrying weapons, is something we have to work together on, and I would urge anyone with worries, concerns or information, to reach out to us. We are committed to making our streets safer.”
TALK TO POLICE ABOUT KNIFE CRIME
Salisbury's Community Policing Team is holding a series of consultation events.
You're invited to drop by and discuss any issues or concerns you might have. There's no need to book a place, just turn up. Social distancing measures will be in place to ensure everyone stays safe:
Monday 26 April
2pm PCSO Murray and PCSO Kitt at St Michael Community Hall, in Bemerton Hill
Tuesday 27 April
2pm PCSO Moss and PCSO Ward at the One Stop in Laverstock
Wednesday 28 April
10am PCSO Murray and PCSO Whitcombe at the Co-op in Downton
Thursday 29 April
10am PCSO Smith and PCSO Taylor at Wilton Market
2pm PCSO Trevis and PCSO Brown at Alderbury Village Shop
Friday 30 April
10am PCSO Brown and PCSO Moss at the shops in Pinewood Way
Saturday 1 May
2pm PCSO Taylor and PCSO Smith in the Market Square
2pm PCSO Murray and PCSO Atkinson at Winterslow Village Stores
The aims of Operation Sceptre is to remove dangerous weapons from the streets, reduce knife crime and raise awareness of the dangers and consequences of carrying a knife.