Police launch knife amnesty

Nottinghamshire Police is calling on people to give up their weapons in a drive to educate residents about the dangers of knives.

Knives must be covered or wrapped as part of the amnesty, which runs until Sunday, 15th December.

Detective Chief Inspector Mick Luke said: “A knife amnesty may be considered a futile exercise or of little value to some. I understand why it might seem that way, being that potentially deadly knives are in the kitchen of most homes. This is really just a chance for us to help change behaviour.

“We are not under any illusions that this amnesty is going to stop knife crime, but if we have just one knife handed in, then that’s potentially one life saved.

“We want people to see this as their chance to get rid of their knives with no questions asked. Make today the first day of a brand new zero-tolerance attitude toward knives.”

Knife possession in Nottinghamshire has increased by 45% compared to the same period last year; however, the Force has detected 14% more of these offences. As a result 50 more people have been charged than this time last year.

Det Chf Insp Luke said: “These figures reflect a determined effort by Nottinghamshire Police and our partners to seek out knife offenders and bring them before the courts.

“I’d like to reassure people that while the statistics show an increase we do know that many knife possession offences do not include injury. In fact there has been a 13% decrease in the number of people admitted to A&E for knife injuries since April.”