Knife and gun crime

Our aim to prevent and tackle knife crime in Cambridgeshire is to;

• prevent people from engaging in knife crime
• protect the public from knife crime
• reduce the impact of knife crime
• disrupt and prosecute those carrying knives.

In order to achieve these aims, we carry out;

• proactive work targeting habitual knife carriers (HKC) including stopping and searching them
• intelligence led weapon sweeps – this involves retrieving weapons that have been hidden in the community by those intending to use them later
• stop and searches in knife hotspot areas
• operations to arrest those wanted in connection with knife crime
• knife amnesties which involve amnesty bins being located at police stations across the county and encouraging members of the public to hand in their weapons without fear of prosecution
• visits to schools across the counties and deliver educational presentations to young people in a bid to make them think about the decisions they make and the consequences with the aim of deterring them from getting into a life of crime
• awareness media campaigns focussing on the effects of carrying a knife and current legislation.

Carrying a knife

Are you feeling pressurised to carry a knife?

If you find yourself involved in a gang and your friends carry knives, maybe you’re under pressure to do so as well. Your friends might tell you that you'll be respected or even feared for carrying a weapon. Maybe they say you'll need it for protection. But all it really does is put you and your friends in greater danger.

Perhaps there's more to it than that - maybe you feel threatened by your friends and feel you need to carry a weapon for your own protection. What could be happening is that you're being bullied into doing something you don't want to do.

• If you don't take a knife with you, it can't be used
• walking away is often the hardest thing to do, but it’s the safest and won't get you into trouble with the police
• it is illegal to carry a knife and if caught you could face up to four years in prison
• if you do feel pressured to carry a knife, speak to someone you trust like a family member, teacher or police officer to get support.

Two strikes and you’re out

Changes to the law means adults convicted of carrying a bladed article more than once now face a minimum of six months in jail, with the maximum penalty being four years. For young offenders aged 16 and 17, the minimum penalty is four months detention and a training order.

Parents and carers

It’s important for parents and carers to speak to their children in an age appropriate way about the dangers of knife crime.

Very few people actually carry knives. The perception can be, particularly among young people, that the issue is greater and that carrying a knife is commonplace.

By carrying a knife you actually put yourself at more risk of serious harm and there is a real chance of being prosecuted.

There are many resources available for parents and carers to help educate children concerning knife crime. Examples of organisations include Fearless, The Ben Kinsella Trust and KnifeCrimes.org 

Offensive Weapons Act

It is now illegal to own a number of different weapons, including various types of knives, following a ban introduced by the Government.

The ban was introduced in July 2021 and includes items such as knuckledusters, telescopic truncheons, curved swords and zombie knives.

It was previously illegal to be in possession of items such as these in public, but the law has been updated to make it illegal to own them in private as well.

Visit the National Business Crime Centre website for more information and a list of the banned items.

Guns

There is a wide range of legislation that relates to guns and firearms. Someone wishing to possess a gun or firearm needs to inform us by applying for a firearms licence .