Swindon Superintendent says dealing with knife crime is a "priority"
A 14-year-old received serious injuries after being stabbed in Swindon on Saturday
Police in Swindon say that "tackling knife crime is a priority" and they are "committed to reducing the number of stabbings in our communities.
It comes after a stabbing in West Swindon on Saturday, where a 14-year-old was stabbed close to the Link Centre.
The teenager remains in hospital in a serious condition.
Three other teenagers have been arrested in connection with the incident.
Police say that although incidents where a knife has been used has decreased by 6% between June 2021 and June 2022, there's been a 48% rise in the number of crimes where someone has been in possession of a knife.
According to Wiltshire Police, there's been a particularly rise of these incidents in Swindon town centre.
Swindon commander Superintendent Phil Staynings said: “We are acutely aware of the impact these crimes have on our communities and the ages of those involved are shocking.
We are utilising every available resource within our organisation to tackle this issue – including our community officers, dedicated proactive staff and colleagues within our firearms unit.
"But, it is clear that we need to do more to combat this issue.”"
One option, that police in Swindon could use, is a Section 60 order.
This would allow police officers to stop and search people even if they don't have suspicions about them - although it can only be in place for 24 hours (with a 24 hour extension possible".
Supt Staynings said: “My officers will use every tactic available to them to reduce the number of stabbings on our streets but we cannot do this alone."
"We need intelligence and information from our communities to build up an accurate picture in order that we can tackle these issues effectively."
Supt Staynings adds that communities need to pull together, and support police in giving evidence for those who perpetuate such crimes.
Anyone with information is being encouraged to contact officers, or use Crimestoppers, where information can be passed on anonymously.
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