South Yorkshire Police aiming to 'build better relationships' with the public to reduce knife crime
A national week of action-also known as Operation Sceptre-is currently taking place across the region
People across South Yorkshire-that may know somebody who carries a weapon in public-are being reminded 'they can confide' in the police.
Officers across the region are taking part in a national week of action to try and reduce knife crime locally.
Detective Superintendent Dave Cowley has this message on the issue:
"So many people are affected by knife crime.
"Obviously, the victim is impacted by it, the grieving family of the victim, the suspect, and the suspect's family as well, along with the wider community.
"For a lot of those people, their lives will never be the same again, all because somebody decided to carry a knife on them.
"I think there's a misconception that it's cool to carry a knife, or that there's a need to carry a knife to protect yourself and use in self-defence.
"Actually, if you carry a knife, you're a lot more likely to suffer from serious violence yourself."
We've also been speaking to Mr. Cowley about how the problem can be tackled effectively in the long term:
"Community engagement is the key for us, and I would say that the public can trust us and provide us with vital information.
"We will treat everything they tell us appropriately and deal with their concerns.
"Also, we need to persuade people in these communities not to carry weapons. That's the answer when it comes to preventing knife crime."
You can find out more about Operation Sceptre on South Yorkshire Police's website below:
southyorks.police.uk/knifecrime