Initiative Op Sceptre To Combat Knife Crime Has Been Launched

Police in Humberside are supporting Operation Sceptre, a national campaign to tackle knife crime.

All police stations in the region will be accepting knives, bladed weapons, and offensive weapons between 14-20 November.

Knuckle dusters, zombie knives, and throwing stars are now illegal under the new legislation, brought in on 14 July 2021.

Stations with knife bins will be Goole, Bridlington, Grimsby, Barton, Pocklington, Clough Road, Osborne Street, Beverley, and Scunthorpe.

This November’s operation is led by Superintendent Lee Edwards.

He said:

“Operation Sceptre is rolled out across the country twice a year with an aim to reduce the number of people carrying weapons, especially young people.

“Knife crime presents very real dangers and puts people at risk of serious harm.

“We will be providing knife bins throughout the week in a number of police stations across the force, where members of the public can anonymously and safely hand in weapons to remove these from our streets.

“I want to make it clear to people that there are no questions asked, they can take a knife to any of the mentioned stations and simply go in and deposit it in the knife bin.  There are no forms to complete, and no one should need to make any record of you being there.

“We just want to get as many unused knives out of circulation so that cannot get into the wrong hands and be used in crime.

“Our officers will be conducting weapon sweeps throughout our Force area, with proactive patrols attending local places of education to speak to young people about the dangers of carrying knives. 

“Our message to those who carry a knife – or those who are thinking of carrying a knife – this does not protect you. It makes you more vulnerable and places you in greater danger of serious harm.

“I am also wishing to reassure the public that we do not have an escalating knife problem in our area but it is vital to raise awareness of the dangers of knife crime, one young life saved through this scheme is worth everything.”