Op Sceptre week of action recovers weapons

Police officers taking part in a national knife crime week of action recovered 83 weapons.

Members of Northamptonshire Police’s Neighbourhood Teams led efforts to tackle knife crime as part of the national Operation Sceptre week of action last week.

Throughout the week, officers attended community engagement events, conducted school visits and test purchase operations in shops, all with the aim of educating people about the dangers of knives.

Forty-one people were arrested as part of the operation, with 17 knives recovered as a result of those arrests.

Superintendent Steve Freeman oversaw the activity, he said: “The vast majority of people in Northamptonshire will never be impacted by knife crime, however the consequences of incidents involving knives can be catastrophic.

“We all have a responsibility to educate young people about the dangers of knife crime, and last week our Neighbourhood Teams spent time visiting schools speaking to children about what the risks they face if they carry a knife but also what to do if they have concerns about people being involved in the kind of crime.

“Choosing to carry a knife means you’re more likely to get injured or stabbed yourself and you could end up with a criminal record if you’re found to be in possession of one, so it’s reassuring to know there are 83 fewer knives available for people to use.

“We also held a number of knife amnesties and conducted test purchase operations at shops across the county to check that retailers were refusing to sell knives to children aged under 18. I’m pleased to report that only four premises out of the 27 we visited sold knives to a child.”

All 43 police forces in England and Wales took part in the seven-day crack down on knife crime which saw 2,550 people arrested, of which 742 were related to knife crime offences.

Prevention is the best cure. If you are aware of anyone who carries a knife or have concerns that someone you know may carry a knife, please report it to police or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.