Hertfordshire to take part in national knife amnesty

Hertfordshire Constabulary will conduct a week of action to combat knife crime between Monday 11 and Sunday 17 November as part of Sceptre, a national knife crime initiative.

Knife related crime remains low in Hertfordshire, compared to 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 those under 18 years of age, 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, including recently banned zombie knives and machetes. The locations and opening times of the police stations can be found on our stations page.

A survey will also be running to gauge residents concerns about knife crime and thoughts on how police are tackling the issue in Hertfordshire. Add your thoughts to the knife crime survey.

Sergeant Karen Mellor, who is leading on the operational activity for Sceptre, said: “Knife crime remains low in the county but we regularly run these weeks of action, along with our policing partners across the country as part of a continuing effort to drive down knife crime.

“Whilst we work every day to tackle knife crime, Sceptre weeks gives us the chance to hold amnesties to reduce the number of knives in circulation. This provides another chance for those in possession of recently banned zombie knives to surrender them anonymously.

“It’s also a great opportunity to raise awareness of the dangers of carrying knives, in particular that carrying a knife in public is illegal and could result in arrest.”

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.

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 also report information online or speak to an operator in our Force Communications Room via our online web chat.

Join our community messaging platform Herts Connected where you will receive free local police messages. You can also choose to receive messages from Neighbourhood Watch, Action Fraud and the Police and Crime Commissioner if that’s what you select when you sign up. 

Alternatively, you can stay 100% anonymous by contacting the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via their untraceable online form.

If you would like further information on support services relating to knife crime contact Fearless.