Surrender knives to save lives in Bristol

Machetes and zombie knives were among the 200 weapons surrendered to police as part of a Bristol-wide crackdown on knife crime.

Avon and Somerset constabulary has again launched an amnesty on blades this week in a bid to save lives across the city.

This comes as the Office for National Statistics reports an annual rise in violent crime across England and Wales for the 12 months leading up to June 2017 and a 26 per cent increase in knife crime nationally.

In Avon and Somerset, crimes where knives or sharp implements were used to injure or threaten were actually down by a marginal 2.7 per cent in the same time period, but offences involving possession of knives or bladed articles increased by 34 per cent.

A set of matching swords were among the weapons handed in to police in Bristol

Surrender bins have been placed at a number of police buildings across the city.

Force lead for knife crime chief inspector Zoe Chegwyn said: “The last time we put the surrender bins in place, we had nearly 200 knives handed in in just one week.

“Every knife surrendered is one less knife out on the street, where they can and do cause serious harm. It’s not just the number of knives surrendered during these operations, which is encouraging, but the type.

“There were some nasty looking machetes and zombie knives left in the bins which are usually only carried by people wanting to hurt others.

“The surrender bins are just one of a number of actions we take to try and reduce the dreadful impact knives can have.”

Close-up on one of a set of swords surrendered to police

Police officers are also running workshops in schools to show the impact knives can have on individuals, families and communities.

Chief inspector Chegwyn added: “We need to understand why young people are carrying knives and work to dispel the myth that knives are somehow cool.

“We also want to let young people know that if they are worried that someone they know is carrying a knife, but are nervous about talking to the police, that they can contact Fearless (The Crimestoppers youth arm) anonymously and potentially help to save a life.”

The surrender bins will be in place in the front offices until the end of November at the following locations:

Patchway Custody Centre
Broadbury Road Police Station
Trinity Road Police Station
The Bridewell Police Station
Frome (police post in the town centre)

Two permanent bins remain in place at Bristol Magistrates Court and Bristol Crown Court.

Officers from the St Paul’s beat team, supported by Catch 22 and the Bright Outlook programme, are holding a drop-in session at the Malcolm X Centre on Thursday (October 26) from 11am – 3pm to engage with the local community and talk to them about knife crime.

As well as a workshop explaining the law around knives and the consequences of possession, police will be offering advice to parents and explaining how people can report anonymously if they suspect someone to be carrying a knife.