15 arrested in Suffolk during county-wide week of action against knife crime
More than 1200 knives were recovered from amnesty bins
Suffolk Police say they've recovered more than 1200 knives from amnesty bins as part of a national week of action to tackle knife crime.
The force also tells us they made 15 arrests as part of Operation Sceptre, which ran from Monday 13 May to Sunday 19 May.
During the week, officers conducted high-visibility patrols, 16 weapon sweeps, visits to known individuals suspected of carrying knives, and a number of stop searches.
Amnesty bins in the county, where the public can surrender knife or weapons anonymously, saw 1,283 knives recovered from them.
Of the 15 people arrested in Suffolk, the following have been charged:
Patrick Houghton, aged 49 and of Osborne Street in Lowestoft, was charged on Monday 13 May with threatening a person with a kitchen knife.
He appeared before Norwich Magistrates’ Court where he pleaded guilty to the charge and is due to appear at Ipswich Crown Court on Monday 10 June.
Iryna Zarudna, aged 44 and of Heath Road in Ipswich, was charged on Thursday 16 May with possession of a bladed article in a public place.
She is due to appear at Ipswich Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 4 June.
"Prevention is as important as enforcement"
Acting Inspector Ed Scott said: “Sceptre is not a one-off; enforcement activity and disruption continues throughout the year. The week of action simply allows us to shine a spotlight on the efforts that are carried out day in, day out, to tackle knife crime in Suffolk.
“It is a multi-agency operation and we work closely with partners, education settings, community groups and businesses to address the issue, understand how we can solve the problem and help prevent the number of people injured or killed by a knife.
“Prevention is as important as enforcement. Some young people think that carrying a knife makes them safer, but the opposite is true – carrying a knife can make them more vulnerable. We have been proactive in providing education and engagement opportunities to local schools to discuss these misconceptions and educate them on the consequences of carrying a weapon.
“As always, the public play a vital role in helping to keep knives off our streets. If you know someone is carrying a knife, purchasing one or that someone being exploited to do so, please report it to us so that we can take appropriate action.
“Suffolk Constabulary will continue to take robust action to those who break the law and we remain committed to proactively tackling knife crime and violent offending.”
"Dreadful scourge on Suffolk society"
Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore said: “I am really pleased to see the Constabulary’s excellent results following this national intensification week to tackle knife crime.
“Sceptre gives the Constabulary an opportunity to raise awareness of the dangers of knife crime and also to tackle the crime with targeted enforcement - I fully support this approach.
“It is so important we work with schools, businesses and parents as we will only make a difference if we work together.
“Talking about the consequences of carrying a knife – both at home and at school – is so important. As a parent I know how difficult these conversations can be, but I would urge parents and carers to discuss the dangers of knife crime at home. We really do need to continue joining our work to eliminate this dreadful scourge on Suffolk society."