Nearly 300 knives surrendered during Sceptre week of action

Nearly 300 knives were surrendered across Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire last week as part of Sceptre.

Sceptre is a national initiative to tackle knife crime, which police forces across the UK take part in twice a year.

Head of Prevention for West Mercia Police, Superintendent Edward Hancox said: “Last week saw lots of community engagement and enforcement around knife crime as part of Sceptre. We work year-round to tackle knife crime, but Sceptre gives us the opportunity to highlight this ongoing work and the impact it has on keeping our communities safe.

“We’re fortunate that the three counties we serve do not see the level of knife crime that other parts of the country do, however, knife crime is still an issue. We’re not complacent and continue our work to raise awareness of the dangers of carrying such a weapon and taking action against those who do.”

The national focus for last week’s Sceptre was on the sale of bladed articles by retailers, and 202 retail visits were conducted by officers across the force.

Officers did test purchases of 42 retailers and 15 of them failed to challenge for ID of age and advice was given. 

Superintendent Hancox added “This is good example of how we all have a part to play in protecting our communities and not letting knives get into the wrong hands. By law, you must be 18 or older to buy a knife but we encourage retailers to follow the Challenge 25 policy and ask for ID from anyone seeking to buy a knife who looks under 25.”

Other activity included officers engaging with local communities, proactive patrols, stop and searches, proactive warrants and acting on police-led and community intelligence about the people who may carry a weapon on our streets.

The numbers below show the impact that last week’s activity had on keeping our communities safe:

Knives recovered from surrender bins: 296

Stop and searches where a knife was recovered: 2

Arrests that were knife-related: 4

Arrests for knife-enabled crime: 4

Knives recovered during search warrants: 1

Community meetings/education events held: 60

Retailer visits (excluding test purchases): 202

Total test purchases: 42

Test purchase failures recorded: 15

Superintendent Hancox continued: “Nobody should ever be a victim of knife crime.

“Those who choose to carry one need to remember that using a knife doesn’t just impact the victim. It also has an immeasurable effect on the family and friends of the victim, and emergency services who respond.

“Carrying knives or other weapons does not keep you safe. It puts you in greater danger, and you are more likely to become involved in a violent situation and be injured yourself or even killed.”

Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion said: “I know knife crime is a real concern for the public, despite the low number of offences in West Mercia. Enforcement is one part of the solution, which is why I’m proud to support the Steer Clear project.

“The project is working with young people across West Mercia, whether they are at risk or carrying knives, helping them to make a positive change and build safer communities.”