West Yorkshire Police ramp up efforts to tackle knife crime
Operation Sceptre will see officers carry out weapon sweeps and give people the opportunity to dispose of knives in amnesty bins
Police forces, including West Yorkshire Police, are ramping up their efforts to tackle knife crime with a week-long nationwide crackdown starting today (26th April).
Operation Sceptre will see officers carry out weapon sweeps and give people the opportunity to dispose of knives in amnesty bins across the country.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) said forces will also work with schools to discourage young people from carrying knives.
Helen Oades from the RosalieRyrie Foundation in Wakefield said knife crime can start at home:
"If there's a young person who grows up in an abusive household, they see abuse as normal, mum can be being hurt on a regular weekly basis, sometimes they take it upon themselves to help the parent.
"Once it's normalised to that level, going out on the street and hurting a stranger, there's no emotional connection, what they see in the home is bad enough. A stranger; they can hurt them and step over them and carry on walking without battering an eye lid."
The National Police Chiefs’ Council's lead for knife crime, deputy assistant commissioner Graham McNulty, said:
“Coronavirus has been a huge part of everyone’s lives for over a year now but we want to remind people that our normal policing role hasn’t stopped during this time.
“Forces are determined to tackle violent crime and with the restrictions easing, taking knives off our streets and helping people understand the dangers of carrying a knife remains a top priority.”