Dorset Police has been taking part in a national campaign, called ‘Sceptre’, raising awareness around knife carrying and knife crime and the police response in detecting and preventing it.
The campaign, led by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), ran from Monday 13 May 2024 to Sunday 19 May 2024 and supports a wider strategy to remove dangerous weapons from the streets of Dorset and keep communities safe.
Knife surrender bins were provided at Bournemouth, Poole and Weymouth Police Stations during the week of activity to encourage those who carry a knife to surrender them anonymously and safely, without question or repercussions.
Various engagement events also took place with the new knife arches in various communities with around 900 people involved. Education presentations were provided in schools across the county with over 770 students receiving information about the dangers of knife carrying and offering them support. The fear of seeing someone with a knife can in-turn lead to a young person to carry a knife themselves. Dorset Police is trying to break this cycle through these presentations at local schools.
Some of the results from the week are as follows:
Engagement events: 14
Stop and search: 8
Weapons seized: 6
Test purchases: 6
Surrender bins: 3
Direct arrests: 3
Chief Superintendent Heather Dixey, Local Commander for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole area said: “Dorset Police supports this national campaign whole-heartedly. Thankfully, knife crime in Dorset remains low, but one person carrying a knife is one too many, so we work with our partners through the year to keep knives out of the hands of young people.
“We’ve had a very proactive week raising awareness around the consequences of knife carrying and carrying out enforcement activities in our communities. Our aim has been to educate people about knife carrying and that it doesn’t make you safer – the opposite in fact, it can put you in danger.
“Although the overall risk of knife crime remains low in Dorset, we must recognise that incidents do happen. In fact there was an incident involving a knife this week. This emphasises the importance of our on-going efforts, engaging with weeks like Sceptre, to remove knives from our streets.
“We’ve taken some weapons out of circulation, made some arrests and checked that knife retailers have been following the letter of the law when selling knives to young people.
“It’s important to make clear that our efforts are not just restricted to campaign weeks. We are proactive all year round in the endeavour to educate the public, enforce the law and keep our communities safe.
“Dorset remains one of the safest places in the country to live and tackling knife crime remains a key priority for us. We will continue to use every available resource to combat knife crime and keep our neighbourhoods amongst the safest in the country.”
David Sidwick, Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset added, “Although Dorset is a very safe place to live, work and visit I have been saying for a very long time now that while young people are still picking up knives thinking they are a form of protection, there is still more work to do and I will continue my campaign to drive down this offence.
I am pleased to see a campaign like Sceptre taking place, not only in Dorset but across the country - tackling knife crime in a variety of ways, from education in schools to tough enforcement and test purchases.
Dorset has had some good results and I’m pleased to see arrests being made and weapons being seized, but this ‘week of action’ isn’t a one off. Dorset police proactively go out every day of the year, enforcing the law, arresting offenders, removing weapons from circulation and preventing knife crime.
Raising awareness, encouraging reporting, supporting victims, and routinely educating about the consequences is an absolute must, if we are to make in-roads into tackling this devastating crime and I would like to thank all the officers, staff and partners involved in the Sceptre campaign.”
During the Sceptre intensification weeks, the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU) worked with Border Force to crack down on the importation of illegal weapons.
Officers carried out 15 visits across the South West to people who bought weapons online, which included flick knives, karambits, butterfly knives and swords. Cease and desist notices that demand the recipient immediately stops their illegal activity were issued and one person was arrested and released on bail conditions.
Many of the people visited were unaware the weapons bought were illegal and so advice and education was provided by the officers. In one case, a young person had purchased a weapon without the knowledge of a parent.
SWROCU DI Lucy Edgeworth, who sits on the National Knife Crime Working Group, said: “SWROCU is committed to tackling the importation of illegal knives into the South West by working closely with Dorset Police and partners to offer advice and assistance and to disrupt this area of criminality.
“The devastation caused by knife crime continues to fracture our communities and destroy lives. I urge parents to have conversations with their children, to search rooms and bags and to know what knives are in your kitchen as they are the most common weapon used to cause serious injury in the UK.”
This national campaign also fell within the Safer BCP eight weeks of action against knife crime campaign, taking place in memory of Cameron Hamilton and Tom Roberts who were both victims of knife crime and tragically lost their lives in Bournemouth.
If you have any information or concerns about someone carrying a knife, please report it to Dorset Police online via the website dorset.police.uk/tua.
You can also report any information anonymously to CrimeStoppers UK on 0800 555111. Your information could help save a life.
Retailers can visit this website for guidance on selling knives: www.nbcc.police.uk/knifeguidance
This news story has been produced by Chesil Radio's News Team, for more information please visit: https://www.chesilradio.com
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