Sword handed in to police station knife amnesty

A sword was handed in to a police station in Derbyshire on the first day of an ongoing knife amnesty.

The hand weapon was placed in a knife amnesty bin in Long Eaton on Monday, with "no questions asked" by police.

Monday was the first day of a nationwide amnesty which runs until 24 May as part of Operation Sceptre.

Supt Lyndsey Curtis, from Derbyshire Police, said: "Whilst thankfully it is only the minority of people that feel it is acceptable to carry a knife, this week is an important opportunity to highlight the year-round prevention work we are doing to keep it this way."

She added: "We are all too aware of the tragic consequences of carrying a knife and the devastating ripple effect that this can have across our communities, and will not stop our work to combat this - a big part of this week is dispelling myths as well.

"We know that those who carry a knife are more likely to be victims themselves, and rather than keeping them safe, carrying a knife actually puts them in greater danger. Involvement in knife crime often forms part of wider criminality too."

As well as an amnesty, officers will be visiting schools to talk about knife crime, setting up pop-up stalls in colleges, and hosting community events.

Knife sweeps are also planned in parks and recreational spaces to search for weapons including using metal detectors.

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