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Operation Sceptre – Tackling knife crime
Op Sceptre is a national week of action focused on reducing knife enabled crime, which runs between 15 to 21 November 2021.
Although knife crime is relatively low in North Yorkshire, we will be taking part and utilising the below methods:
· Knife amnesty bins in Police Stations (York, Scarborough, Malton, Harrogate, Skipton, Northallerton and Richmond)
· OP Divan interventions with young people
· Engagement sessions raising awareness of the risks of carrying knives
One of the strands of Op Sceptre is the targeting of subjects who are Habitual Knife Carriers (HKC). These subjects are predominantly involved in other criminality and county lines dealing. The Operation Disarm packages contain this intelligence, please make yourself aware of these subjects and consider them on your patrols. Please make sure stop searches or intel submissions are linked to Op Sceptre.
The Offensive Weapons Act 2019 has changed the law regarding possession of offensive weapons in private, please consider these changes throughout the week of Op Sceptre.
Sections 43, 44, 46 and 47 of the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 were introduced in July this year. These sections:
create an offence of possessing certain dangerous articles and offensive weapons in private,modify the definition of a flick knife,add weapons to the prohibited articles list. | 
