Hertfordshire to take part in national knife amnesty

Hertfordshire Constabulary will conduct a week of action to combat knife crime between Monday 15 and Sunday 21 May as part of Operation Sceptre, a national knife crime initiative.

Knife related crime remains lower in Hertfordshire than in other parts of the country, but the campaign aims to reinforce the message that carrying a knife is illegal and will not help to keep you safe.

As part of the initiative the constabulary will be conducting activities aimed at reducing knife crime, including conducting knife sweeps and talking to retailers to ensure knives are not sold to under 18 year olds, as well as educating young people about the dangers of carrying a knife.

During the campaign, any knives in your possession that you do not want or should not have, can be surrendered at one of the following police stations: Hatfield, Stevenage or Watford. There will also be temporary knife bins in locations around the county and there are permanent surrender bins in Waltham Cross, details of which can be found on our Amnesty page.

Items can be surrendered anonymously during the amnesty in the knife bins provided, the locations and opening times of these stations can be found on our Police Stations page.

Inspector Emma Bilsdon, who is leading on the operational activity for Operation Sceptre, said: “Knife crime remains low in the county but the Op Sceptre weeks of action are part of our continuing strategy to tackle violent crime.

“They are a great opportunity to reduce the number of knives in circulation and raise awareness of issues around carrying knives, in particular that carrying a knife in public is illegal and could result in arrest.

“The week of action is also a chance to talk with young people in person and via social media about the dangers of carrying a knife, and also remind local businesses that selling certain knives to anyone under 18 is illegal.”

Hertfordshire Constabulary‘s Gangs and Schools team regularly live stream events for young people online, to raise awareness of the dangers of knife crime and gang involvement. You can view these events on our Youtube channel (opens in new window).

If you are concerned or have information about someone carrying knives or are aware of anyone involved in knife crime you can report this by calling the Hertfordshire Constabulary non-emergency number 101.

You can report information online, speak to an operator in our Force Communications Room via our online web chat

Alternatively, you can stay 100% anonymous by contacting the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via their untraceable online form (opens in a new window).

If you would like further information on support services relating to knife crime contact Fearless (opens in new window).