Knife amnesty a success

Police destroy 149 blades

Nearly 150 knives have been handed in to south west cops following a 'no-questions asked' amnesty.

A variety of knives were surrendered including small pocketknives, decorative items, and the usual random assortment of knives found in a typical kitchen. They will all now be destroyed.

As part of a week of action, Devon and Cornwall Police responded to intelligence around knife crime, conducted stop searches and talked with selected retailers, community groups and schools.

In July it became an offence to possess certain items, such as knuckledusters, throwing stars and zombie knives, even in a private place.

Detective chief inspector Scott Bradley said: “I’m really pleased with the response we’ve had from this amnesty and the public support during the week.  Any knife handed in means there is one less on our streets.  Clearly people have taken this opportunity to hand in these potentially dangerous items which will now be safely destroyed. 

“Devon and Cornwall are two of the safest places to live and work, and whilst knife crime is relatively low compared to other areas of the country, we are not complacent.  Throughout the year we run regular amnesties and undertake prevention work with the intention of keeping knife crime low.

“We would suggest that if anyone still has knives they wish to dispose of and have missed the amnesty they should take these to their local recycling centre.”