Police Call On Public To ‘Surrender Their Knives’
Warwickshire Police is appealing for people to ‘surrender their knives’ with a week-long knife surrender starting today (Tuesday 18 September).
The Save a Life, Surrender Your Knife campaign will be running as part of the national Operation Sceptre knife awareness campaign.
To support the campaign, Warwickshire Police will have knife bins at four police stations across the county. Knife surrender bins are located at the following police stations:
Many knives are held in innocence or ignorance of their illegality. The surrender gives these people the chance to dispose of the knife anonymously with no questions asked, by simply dropping it into a knife bin at their local station.
The surrender will run from Tuesday 18 September until Monday 24 September.
During the campaign, those surrendering knives will not have to give any personal details and will not face prosecution for carrying them. However, the force will carry out an investigation and seek to prosecute if they believe a knife has been used to commit a criminal offence.
Throughout the campaign, local policing teams will be running events raising awareness of the dangers of knife crime.
They will also maintain a zero-tolerance approach to people carrying knives – they will not show leniency to anyone stopped and found to be in possession of a knife. They will be arrested as normal and appropriate action will be taken.
“Although knife crime is rare in Warwickshire, when it happens it can have a devastating effect on people’s lives and one incident of knife crime is one too many.
Knife crime not only impacts upon victims but also their family, friends, and the wider community.
People have a week in which they can anonymously deposit their knives or blades into a surrender bin at a local police station. I would urge people to take this opportunity and help prevent further tragedies.”
Chief Superintendent David Gardner
Safe In Warwickshire 