The knife amnesty took place during a national week of action
Greater Manchester Police has seen 368 knives surrendered into amnesty bins in just one week as part of a force-wide operation. The knife amnesty took place during a national week of action earlier this month which saw underage police cadets go undercover.
The Sceptre knife crime intensification week saw GMP cadets take part in the undercover operations to test retailers and make sure they are ‘well educated’. According to the force, many retailers passed the test purchasing operation and refused sale to the cadets.
Officers also made sure retailers know where knives should be placed in shops to stop the sale and supply of knives solely intended to harm and preventing them getting into the hands of young people. GMP says this work shows its committed to tackling knife crime.
Superintendent Richard Thompson, who leads GMP’s response to knife crime and serious violence said: “Across the force, we are committed to tackling knife crime head-on, and this is not just down to arresting those involved with knife crime.
“Engaging with retailers is a critical part of what we do as preventing access to knives at the point of sale has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of harm.
“Aside from the test purchasing operations we conducted; we visited 118 retailers to educate and inform them on the proper way to display knives ensuring they are being covered clearly by CCTV to deter those who are looking to purchase knives intent on harm.
“Across our neighbourhood and responses teams, alongside our dedicated knife crime team Operation Venture; officers made 116 arrests and recovered 63 knives from a combination of stop searches, search warrants and weapon sweeps.
“For the community, these results mean working towards our overarching commitment of safer streets to address the root causes of knife crime and working toward long-term prevention. I’d also like to thank everyone that interacted with officers during the week and continue to.
“We conducted 39 school engagements to educate children on the dangers of knife crime and the importance of reporting concerns to an appropriate adult as well as promoting Fearless – the dedicated youth service of the independent charity Crimestoppers.”
Kate Green, Deputy Mayor for Safer and Stronger Communities, said: “These results are a testament to the proactive work of GMP to make our streets and communities safer. Positive community engagement work is key to preventing young people carrying knives and tackling the root causes of this, and I am proud of the work that GMP is doing here.”
You can report knife crime by calling 101 or 999 in an emergency. You can also make a report via GMP’s website: www.gmp.police.uk
To report anonymously, call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via the website: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/
