Operation to tackle serious violence delivers positive results

• 385 knives seized
• 7 firearms seized
• £39k worth of drugs recovered
• £30k in cash seized
• £9k of counterfeit goods recovered
• 82 arrests made
• 14 vehicles seized

A five-month Force-wide operation which took place last year saw a reduction in knife crime, an increase in positive outcomes for those who carry knives, and more than 350 knives taken off Northamptonshire’s streets.

Operation Glendale was launched last summer with clear aims to reduce serious violence, reduce repeat offending and the involvement of young people in knife crime, and to increase the positive outcome rate for offenders. 

The operation, which ran from May 2025 and concluded in Autumn, has now been fully evaluated with some significantly positive results, notably a decrease in knife crime of 4.89% and an increase in the number of detected knife crime offences.

During the course of the operation, 385 knives and seven firearms were recovered, £39,000 worth of drugs, £9,000 worth of counterfeit goods, 3,000 illegal vapes, 14 vehicles, and £30,000 in cash were seized, 31 test purchase operations took place, and 82 arrests were made, in addition to daily business.

However, as well as enforcement, safeguarding and prevention were also an integral part of the operation with the team engaging with more than 7,600 young people either directly or through County Lines’ webinars.

This engagement resulted in them making more than 100 interventions which steered young people away from crime and onto more positive pathways.

Chief Inspector Oliver Charter who led the operation, said: “I am really pleased with the results from this operation. We remain as determined as ever to tackle serious violence across our county.

“Our approach through this operation saw just as many good results on the prevention side of things as it did in the enforcement area. It’s so important for us to try and engage with people as early as possible to prevent them from committing crimes further down the line.

“Our work didn’t stop with the end of this operation – many pieces of work are now embedded into business-as-usual practices, such as our Prison Intervention Programme.

“We remain committed to tackling serious violence and knife crime and will keep working hard to continue decreasing the number of offences while also increasing the number of positive outcomes. If you are concerned about somebody under 18 who may be carrying a weapon, please refer through to us within the Youth Violence Intervention Unit.”