Call to carry on handing in knives this Sceptre week of action
People in Nottinghamshire are being urged to help make their streets safer by handing in knives and other weapons during a national week of action.
Amnesty bins are in place across the county as part of Nottinghamshire Police's activity for Sceptre, which started on Monday (19 May).
The amnesty bin offering led to 166 weapons being recovered by police during the previous Sceptre campaign in November 2024.
Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Gary Godden said: “Every weapon removed from our streets is another step towards preventing harm and protecting lives in Nottinghamshire.
“Although you may think that carrying a knife protects you, it doesn’t. It simply increases the risk of danger to you and those around you.
“I urge anybody who owns a knife to work with us, this is a chance to make a stand and hand weapons in to help make our communities safer.”
Chief Inspector Karl Thomas wants to see the momentum continue this Sceptre, with the force’s knife crime lead urging more people to hand over any unwanted or illegal weapons.
He said: “Whether it’s a knife, a sword, or something like a knuckleduster, every weapon we can take off the streets is a positive thing and makes our communities safer.
“It was pleasing to see so many people make use of our amnesty bin offering during the last Sceptre and we want to continue this momentum.
“Tackling knife crime is a force priority all year round, so it is also positive news to see people making use of our amnesty bins all year-round too.”
Chief Inspector Thomas urged more people to ‘do the right thing’ and hand knives in to make our streets safer.
“If the main reason for people feeling hesitant about going into a police station to use our amnesty bins is they’re worried about getting into trouble, I can assure them that this will not be the case.
“This initiative is not a trick. We want to take these blades and other offensive weapons off our streets and this amnesty makes that easier and more efficient.
“While the results of recent knife amnesties and surrender schemes have been positive, we’re never complacent and want to continue this positive trend.
“Knife crime has devastating consequences for so many people, so anything we can do to take these weapons out of harm’s way is a good thing and something we support as a force.”
Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows knife crime in Nottinghamshire decreased by five per cent in 2024.
A total of 811 knife-enabled offences were recorded in 2024 compared to 854 in 2023.
The number of knife possession offences increased by 3.1 per cent over the same period.
Throughout the week of action, knife amnesty bins will be situated inside stations, shared services and other locations in:
- Newark Police Station, Queen's Road, NG24 1LJ
- Mansfield Police Station, Great Central Road, NG18 2HQ
- Oxclose Lane Police Station, Bestwood, NG5 6FZ
- Radford Road Police Station, Hyson Green, NG7 5GX
Anyone wanting to drop a knife off at one of the force's amnesty bins is asked to package it up safely before transporting it, with suggestions including putting the weapon in a box, or wrapping it in bubble wrap.
For more information about Sceptre, visit: Operation Sceptre: Nottinghamshire Police
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