Hertfordshire Knife Amnesty Update

You may remember that we mentioned Hertfordshire Constabulary were taking part in a national knife amnesty between September 18 and 24, which resulted in a good haul of unwanted knives and other potential weapons.

The amnesty was part of a national campaign, Operation Sceptre, being run by police forces across the country to reduce the number of illegal knives in circulation.

Due to an increase in knife-related incidents across the country over the last three years, the amnesty provided a great opportunity to issue some strong messages and advice about the risks of carrying a knife in public.

During the amnesty 200 knives were deposited in the bins at police stations in Hatfield (90), Stevenage (52) and Watford (47) which included swords, military knives and a large amount of kitchen knives. Eleven knives were also surrendered at an event in Waltham Cross which ran between September 19 and 22.

Other activities carried out during the campaign included test purchasing operations with cadets, to ensure retailers were adhering to laws regarding knife sales to those under 18.

For more information on the items handed in please click here.