Amnesty to take weapons off the streets

A weapons amnesty this week (11 November) will allow people to hand in knives and other items to police without prosecution. 

As well as knives, people can surrender items such as knuckledusters, extendable batons, curved swords and zombie weapons that have been made illegal to own. The amnesty will not cover guns.

The week-long initiative starts on Monday (11 November) with bins at Thorpe Wood Police Station in Peterborough and Parkside Police Station in Cambridge.

There will also be bins at Cambourne Police Station on Monday from 1pm until 4pm and Sawston Police Station on Friday (15 November) from 10am until 12pm.

In addition to the weapons amnesty, officers will be visiting multiple schools across the county, conducting extra patrols in “hotspot” areas and targeting those believed to be carrying knives. The week will be supported by officers, Specials and police cadets.

In the last year, possession of weapons offences in Cambridgeshire decreased by seven per cent.

The amnesty follows a government compensation scheme in September where people were encouraged to surrender “zombie-style” weapons before they were made illegal.

The national Sceptre initiative is also part of Operation Guardian – the Constabulary’s ongoing strategy to combat knife crime in the county.

Where knives are concerned, it is illegal to:

- sell a knife of any kind to anyone under 18 years old.

- carry a knife in public without good reason - unless it’s a knife with a folding blade 3 inches long (7.62 cm) or less, eg a Swiss Army knife

- carry, buy or sell any type of banned knife

- use any knife in a threatening way (even a legal knife, such as a Swiss Army knife)

The maximum penalty for an adult carrying a knife is four years in prison and a fine of £5,000.

Inspector Karl Secker said: “Regular amnesties such as this continue to be part of our ongoing work to combat knife crime in the county.

“I’m pleased that possession of knife offences in Cambridgeshire continue to decease, but we don’t want to get complacent.

“It’s important we continue our other work in this area, such as speaking to young people at schools about the dangers of knife crime.

“Very few people carry knives in our county. However, if you suspect a friend or family member does, please speak to them about the amnesty and encourage them to do the right thing. By disposing of any weapons, they will actually be safer, as well as removing the risk of being prosecuted.”

Visit the dedicated section of this website for more information on knife crime and to access a list of the banned items.