Thursday
18
April
Newtown police to hold knife amnesty
09/09/2019 @ 03:57
Newtown Police Station is to open its doors to people who want to hand in unwanted knives and blades as part of an amnesty.
Operation Spectra will run from 16 to 22 September with a special bin left at the police station in Park Lane for people to leave knives and blades in without being asked questions.
In the past a range of knives, blades and even swords have been left with Dyfed Powys Police as part of the campaign.
The police station's public reception is open Monday to Friday between 8am and 6pm and Saturday and Sunday between 9am and 5pm.
The force also wants people to know how to safely dispose of knives and blades outside of the amnesty period, and urges anyone involved in a household clearance, or those who would consider leaving knives at a charity shop, to instead bring them to a recycling centre for safe disposal.
Inspector for specialist operations, Tim Davies, said: “Dyfed-Powys remains a safe place to live, work and visit, and thankfully we don’t face the level of knife crime other areas see. For this campaign we are changing our approach to focus on keeping knives that could travel to other areas, out of criminal hands.
“It can be difficult to know the right thing to do with an old knife when you buy a new set, or inherit them from a relative. We want anyone involved in household clearances, people with elderly relatives, and charity shops, to know they can take unwanted or donated knives to the tip.”
The force is also encouraging a common sense approach to selling knives and blades, after credit card blades were handed in to them during the last amnesty, in March 2019.
When officers visited a store the force area they were presented with a box containing 42 black plastic items around the size of a credit card. On opening the card, a hidden blade was revealed which could lock in place. Knives with a lockable blade are illegal to carry, so officers took the items away to be destroyed.
Inspector Davies said: “Many types of blades are legal to sell, but have a questionable purpose. We will be working with retailers to discuss the law, and what is sensible.
“We will also be working with schools, colleges and youth clubs to reinforce the message about the dangers of carrying knives among young people.
“Carrying a knife is a crime which brings that added risk that a minor issue can escalate into something much more serious and potentially life changing.
“The damage caused by knives, not just to the victim and their families, but also to the wider community, can be devastating. We will be doing all we can to keep knives out of the wrong hands.
“While Dyfed-Powys has not experienced the high volume of knife-related incidents seen in other forces, we are supporting our police colleagues nationally by taking part in Operation Sceptre.
“Our force has a lower rate of knife crime than the national average – in the year ending March 2018, there were 31 crimes involving knives per 100,000 of the population in Dyfed-Powys. Across Wales, this figure stands at 37, and nationally there were 69 knife crimes per 100,000 people during the same period.”
For more information about Operation Sceptre and the laws around carrying knives, visit www.dyfed-powys.police.uk.
Operation Spectra will run from 16 to 22 September with a special bin left at the police station in Park Lane for people to leave knives and blades in without being asked questions.
In the past a range of knives, blades and even swords have been left with Dyfed Powys Police as part of the campaign.The police station's public reception is open Monday to Friday between 8am and 6pm and Saturday and Sunday between 9am and 5pm.
The force also wants people to know how to safely dispose of knives and blades outside of the amnesty period, and urges anyone involved in a household clearance, or those who would consider leaving knives at a charity shop, to instead bring them to a recycling centre for safe disposal.
Inspector for specialist operations, Tim Davies, said: “Dyfed-Powys remains a safe place to live, work and visit, and thankfully we don’t face the level of knife crime other areas see. For this campaign we are changing our approach to focus on keeping knives that could travel to other areas, out of criminal hands.
“It can be difficult to know the right thing to do with an old knife when you buy a new set, or inherit them from a relative. We want anyone involved in household clearances, people with elderly relatives, and charity shops, to know they can take unwanted or donated knives to the tip.”
The force is also encouraging a common sense approach to selling knives and blades, after credit card blades were handed in to them during the last amnesty, in March 2019.
When officers visited a store the force area they were presented with a box containing 42 black plastic items around the size of a credit card. On opening the card, a hidden blade was revealed which could lock in place. Knives with a lockable blade are illegal to carry, so officers took the items away to be destroyed.
Inspector Davies said: “Many types of blades are legal to sell, but have a questionable purpose. We will be working with retailers to discuss the law, and what is sensible.
“We will also be working with schools, colleges and youth clubs to reinforce the message about the dangers of carrying knives among young people.
“Carrying a knife is a crime which brings that added risk that a minor issue can escalate into something much more serious and potentially life changing.
“The damage caused by knives, not just to the victim and their families, but also to the wider community, can be devastating. We will be doing all we can to keep knives out of the wrong hands.
“While Dyfed-Powys has not experienced the high volume of knife-related incidents seen in other forces, we are supporting our police colleagues nationally by taking part in Operation Sceptre.
“Our force has a lower rate of knife crime than the national average – in the year ending March 2018, there were 31 crimes involving knives per 100,000 of the population in Dyfed-Powys. Across Wales, this figure stands at 37, and nationally there were 69 knife crimes per 100,000 people during the same period.”
For more information about Operation Sceptre and the laws around carrying knives, visit www.dyfed-powys.police.uk.
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