Permanent amnesty bin already helping to remove knives from community

A permanent knife amnesty bin in Wellingborough has made a positive impact in its local community with more than forty knives removed from the streets in less than two months.

When the bin outside the Queensway Medical Centre in Olympic Way, was emptied for the first time by the Wellingborough Neighbourhood Policing Team and Off The Streets NN, they found a variety of different knives.

The secured container was one of seven amnesty bins installed in various locations across Wellingborough and East Northamptonshire at the end of February, as part of Northamptonshire Police’s continued campaign to reduce knife crime.

Neighbourhood Policing Sergeant, Chris Stevens said: “Following the introduction of the amnesty bins, we’ve received really positive feedback from the community, in particularly from residents on the Queensway estate.

“We wanted to make it as easy as possible to get knives off our streets and out of the hands of people who may misuse them, and the number of items deposited in this amnesty bin alone, shows just how much of an asset they are.

“It’s important to remember that most of us do not carry knives and will probably never be affected by knife crime – it is not a normal thing to do, which is why it’s important to dispel the myths around carrying a knife.

“However, tackling knife crime continues to be a matter of priority for the Force, and alongside the bleed kits and educational messages already out there, we’re committed to preventing people carrying knives.

“These bins are already proving a real asset to the community, providing a much safer and secure way of disposing knives instead of them just being discarded into normal bins.

“I would like to thank everyone who has supported this scheme and deposited an item into the amnesty bin. Every knife taken off our streets is another step closer to making our communities safer.”

The amnesty bins were installed in partnership with the neighbourhood policing team, Off The Streets NN, North Northamptonshire Council and Wellingborough housing association Greatwell Homes.

Rav Jones and Jane Capps, representatives of Off The Streets NN, said: “It’s humbling to see the community using the knife amnesty bins, which we’ve worked with the police, Greatwell Homes and North Northamptonshire Council to secure.

“These bins are a positive and safe way of disposing of your unwanted or unused knives. We encourage everyone within the community to continue to use them and keep our community safe.”

Anyone who would like to hand in a knife safely and without repercussions can find the permanent amnesty bins at Angel Lane, Queensway Medical Centre and Hemmingwell Skills Hub in Wellingborough, Spencer Park in Rushden, High Street in Irthlingborough and Saffron Recreational Ground in Higham Ferrers.

Find out more about how Northamptonshire Police is preventing and tackling knife crime here.

If you have any information or concerns about knife crime in your community, you can report non-emergency crime to 101, visit www.northants.police.uk/RO or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111. In an emergency always call 999.