Knives handed in at ‘amnesty bins’ during Notts Police action week
Knife crime was actually falling in Nottinghamshire as of December 2024.
Nottinghamshire Police say people who own knives and other weapons can hand them in for one week without fear of prosecution as part of a week of action.
The force has set up a network of knife ‘amnesty bins’ as part of Operation Sceptre.
The programme is a nationwide policing initiative to educate young people on the dangers of carrying knives, as well as take bladed objects and other offensive weapons off the streets.
Sceptre’s action week started on Monday (May 19). People can go to knife amnesty bins located throughout Nottinghamshire and hand in any weaponry they possess without fear of punishment.
There are permanent amnesty bins in Mansfield, Newark, Oxclose Lane and Radford Road police stations.
Extra bins can be found in police stations in Bulwell, St Ann’s, Broxtowe, Central, Worksop, Kirkby and Ollerton during the week.
Chief Inspector Karl Thomas said: “Whether it’s a knife, a sword, or something like a knuckleduster, every weapon we can take off the streets is a positive thing and makes our communities safer.
“It was pleasing to see so many people make use of our amnesty bin offering during the last Sceptre and we want to continue this momentum.
“Tackling knife crime is a force priority all year round, so it is also positive news to see people making use of our amnesty bins all year-round too.”
The last action week, held in November 2024, led to 166 weapons being taken off the streets through the amnesty bin scheme.
The current action week comes after knife crime made headlines in Nottinghamshire again in May.
A man was stabbed outside a Co-op in Gedling on May 6. The incident was the fourth high-profile crime of its kind in seven days, including the fatal stabbing of 40-year-old James Cook in Castle Gate, Newark, on April 30.
Data from the Office for National Statistics shows that while knife crime in had reduced in Nottinghamshire by five per cent from 2023 to 2024, the number of knife-possession offenses rose by just over three per cent in the same time period.
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