Bedfordshire Police say over 4,000 knives and blades have been taken off the streets of Bedfordshire after they were placed into 11 of their weapon bins placed around the county.
Bins were emptied just before a week of action earlier this month and officers found 798 blades. They emptied them again at the end of the week, and 119 blades were recovered.
This brought the total number of blades recovered in 2022 so far to 4,118.
After being reviewed by officers to see if they have been used in any criminal acts, the weapons will then be destroyed.
Operation Sceptre, which ran from 14-20 November, looked at reducing knife crime, through Bedfordshire Police officers and staff engaging with local communities to encourage them to report concerns.
Through talks at schools and with other community members they also highlighted the consequences of carrying a knife.
Weapon sweeps in public parks, high visibility patrols in areas most affected by knife crime, with people also urged to ‘bin their blade’ in one of the weapons bins.
“It’s great that we have seen a high number of dangerous weapons recovered this year and we want to continue building on this work so we can severely reduce the number of knife-related crimes in our county, said Detective Chief Inspector (CDI) Katie Dounias.
“This week of action gave us the opportunity to show our communities some of the work we are doing to tackle knife crime in Bedfordshire, as well as emphasising the consequences if you are caught carrying a knife,” she added.
Retailer engagement days also took place., Retailers who sell knives were given guidance such as information on age restrictions for purchasing a knife, to help make sure knives are not being purchased for criminal purposes.
Talks at schools also showed students examples of recent cases and the consequences of what could happen if they are caught carrying a knife, even if they think it is for their own protection.
Much more to do
Despite the work being carried out, and the number of knives being handed in, DCI Dounias, says there is still much more to do.
“Although we have seen a recent reduction in serious youth violence and knife crime, incidents like the tragic deaths of two men and a third left seriously injured in Houghton Regis earlier this month show that there is still a lot of work to be done,” she said.
“However, we can’t do this alone, which is why we encourage members of the public to let us know if they suspect someone is carrying a knife, whether this is with the intention of using it or if they’re under the false impression that it will protect them.
“It won’t; and in fact, [by carrying a knife] they are far more likely to become a victim themselves.”
The DCI’s words seemed to echo those of Assistant Chief Constable Sharn Basra in July last year, who also said there was “much more to do” to tackle knife crime in the county.
That was following Office of National Statistics (ONS) figures which showed knife crime has seen a sudden rise in the county at the time.
Read: Bedfordshire Police: “much more to do” as knife crime surges in county
The stats, released in July 2021, revealed a 47% increase in the number of reported crimes involving a knife for the first three months of this year when compared to the same period in 2020.
These were crimes reported as having involved a ‘knife or sharp instrument’ including attempted murder, threats to kill, assault, rape and robbery.
There were 115 reported from January to March 2020, compared to 169 from January to March 2021.
Speaking to the Bedford Independent at the time, Assistant Chief Constable Sharn Basra said: “We still have so much more to do and are continuing to encourage our local communities to report any such criminality to us as this helps us to build a better picture of the hotspot areas we need to target.”
Knife crime decreasing
However this year, Bedfordshire Police’s own figures show incidents of serious youth violence dropped by 23% over the past three months compared to the previous three months.
Recorded knife crime also fell to its lowest monthly level in three years in October.
Thousands of knives were also taken off the streets in Bedford and the surrounding during a week of action in November last year.
Read: Thousands of knives and seven firearms surrendered across North Bedfordshire
The Bedfordshire Violence and Exploitation Reduction Unit has also invested more than £400,000 into 16 community projects across the county to tackle knife crime and criminal exploitation and provide opportunities for young people.
The county-wide knife bins will remain in place so anyone wishing to dispose of a knife or weapon can do so. Bedford Borough bins are located at:
- Church Lane shops, Goldington, Bedford
- Commercial Road/Costin Street, Bedford (near the basketball courts)
- St John’s Street, Kempston (in the car park opposite the Co-op)
If you have any concerns about knife crime, you can report them at beds.police.uk or by calling on 101.
You can also call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. They will never ask for your name or try to trace the number that you’re calling from.
In an emergency always dial 999.
