More than 130 knives recovered as part of week of action

More than 130 knives were recovered by Northamptonshire Police as part of a national week of action earlier this month.

Police forces from across the UK joined together last week for Op Sceptre, a campaign aimed at reducing knife through education, engagement, prevention and enforcement.

Throughout the week, officers from many different teams in the force worked together to tackle this issue, while also working closely with partners including our local councils and the Youth Offending Service.

Tactics used included:

• Conducting weapons sweeps where both knives and drugs were recovered
• Knife amnesties where more than 130 weapons were recovered
• Targeted hotspot patrols based on an analysis of crimes and incidents
• Enforcement activity focused on key offenders wanted for knife crime offences, leading to 10 arrests
• School visits and presentations to young people, teaching them about the risks associated with knife crime
• Engagement with community groups
• Joint visits with the Youth Offending Service to young people identified as being at risk of becoming involved in knife crime and offering support via and early intervention programme
• Test purchase operation at shops selling knives when five out of 12 shops failed to challenge the age of the person buying weapons

 

Detective Superintendent Andy Glenn, Northamptonshire Police’s lead on tackling serious violence, said: “Tackling knife crime is something we do continuously but these national weeks of action give us an additional focus to review our tactics and work more closely with partners to do all we can to reduce the number of people affected by this crime.

“We now have more than 130 fewer knives in circulation and were able to speak to lots of young people about the dangers of knife crime and the risks they face should they choose to carry weapons.

“Disappointingly, five of the 12 shops we visited as part of a test purchase operation didn’t question the age of the person who was buying a knife, all of who were underage. Clearly more work needs to be done with our retail outlets to remind the of their obligations when it comes to selling knives.”

Northamptonshire Police continues to work closely with partners to tackle the issue of knife crime.

Det Supt Glenn added: “We know we can’t arrest our way out of the issue of knife crime and so work closely with partners to tackle this issue.

“A lot of work is taking place to engage with young people and provide early intervention programmes for those who have identified as being at risk of being drawn into a world of violence.

“We know some children feel they have no option but to carry weapons and we urge them to speak to a trusted adult about what they’re doing. Parents, guardians and other concerned adults can find lots of information and advice on our website about what to do if you’re worried about a young person carrying knives or being involved in violence. Anyone with concerns can also call us on 101 or 999 in an emergency.”