National Knife Surrender – Operation Sceptre seizes a whopping 800 knives off the streets!

Humberside Police update

Between Monday 15 May and Sunday 21 May, we have taken part in the national knife surrender, Operation Sceptre, a national campaign that aims to tackle knife crime and remove unwanted knives from the streets of our communities.

Removing weapons from the streets is only one part of this operation, we also look to educate people about the risks involved in carrying knives.

Leading the operation for Humberside Police was Chief Inspector Alex Weeks, he said, “I am delighted that approximately 800 knives have now been taken off the streets of our Force area over the past week.

“These surrenders show us that people really do want to make a difference in their communities and help us to get unwanted knives out of circulation.

“Knife crime can have a devastating impact on communities. Taking these off the streets mean that they cannot find their way into the hands of someone who might use it to cause harm to another person.

“This operation was not just about getting people to surrender their knives and weapons though.

“In addition to the knife surrender, over the intense week of action 26 stop and searches were carried out and a total of 25 people were arrested.

“Over 300 shops were visited and spoken to about the sale of knives and over 40 schools were visited to give educational talks to children.  This gave our neighbourhood policing teams a good opportunity to talk to their local retailers about how to stay within the law and make our communities safer for everyone.

“Throughout the operations we have been conducting targeted patrolling in areas where we know to have local issues and conducted weapons sweeps and using our knife arch in public areas.

“I want to thank the public for their support and for the officers and staff who have worked hard during this May’s operation.  I hope they see this as a really positive and direct way in which they can help keep their own communities safe.

“If you know someone who carries a knife or bladed weapon, please get in touch with us as this information gives us the authority we need to stop and search people suspected of carrying weapons, and prosecute those who are.

“Please call us on our non-emergency 101 line, or if you’d rather remain anonymous, call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”