Hertfordshire amnesty to run during Knife Angel Vist

Dear Resident

Hertfordshire amnesty to run during Knife Angel visit

We will conduct a month-long knife amnesty during October, to coincide with the visit of the *Knife Angel.

Knife related crime remains low in Hertfordshire, compared to other parts of the country, however the Knife Angel’s stay in Welwyn Garden City presents a great opportunity to carry out initiatives to reduce and prevent violence across Hertfordshire and not just knife crime.

During October any knives in your possession, that you do not want or should not have, can be surrendered at one of the following police stations: Hatfield, Stevenage or Watford. There will also be a surrender bin at the foot of the Knife Angel. There are also permanent surrender bins in Waltham Cross.

Items can be surrendered anonymously and without fear of prosecution during the amnesty in the knife bins provided, including recently banned zombie knives, machetes and ninja swords. The locations and opening times of the police stations can be found here: www.herts.police.uk/stations. No weapons surrendered during the amnesty will be examined and will be destroyed once the amnesty concludes.

As part of the Knife Angel initiative (more information at https://orlo.uk/jQsNl), in addition to the amnesty, the constabulary will be conducting activities including knife detection operations and talking to retailers to ensure knives are not sold to those under 18 years of age.

*The Knife Angel, designed and created by Alfie Bradley at the British Ironwork Centre, is a national monument created to highlight the negative effects of violence and aggression and solidifying the critical need for change. The 27-foot sculpture has been crafted from more than 100,000 knives and blades confiscated by the UK's 43 police forces. The sculpture aims to raise awareness about the consequences of knife crime and violence and to spark conversations about the need for social change and peace. If you would like further information on the Knife Angel, visit: Official Knife Angel Page | The British Ironwork Centre.

To begin the month of action there will be an opening ceremony on 1 October, in Welwyn Garden City Town centre, and throughout the month the force and partners will be running county-wide events, initiatives and competitions. Details of all events can be found on our Eventbrite page:

Chief Inspector Pete Frost, who is leading on the Knife Angel initiative, said: “Knife crime remains low in the county but as part of the Knife Angel initiative we wanted to take the opportunity to remove as many knives from our communities as possible.

“Whilst we work every day to tackle knife crime, the visit of the Knife Angel is a great chance to raise awareness about the devastation knives can cause to communities. The Knife Angel is a fantastic opportunity for police, partners, and communities to work together to tackle violence across the county. Police want to work alongside communities, partners, and charities to prevent crime and harm, catch criminal and solve crime, and protect victims and the vulnerable. As part of the initiative, we are seeking to recruit Anti-Violence Champions to help make Hertfordshire an even safer place to live. Sign up to be an anti-violence champion.

Report knife crime and stay 100% anonymous by contacting the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via their untraceable online form at crimestoppers-uk.org.

If you would like further information on support services relating to knife crime contact https://orlo.uk/NaUei

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