'˜People of Nottinghamshire talk to kids about the dangers of knives'

Nottinghamshire's most senior police officer has urged parents to talk to their children about the consequences of carrying knives.
Hundreds of knives have already been dropped in amnesty bins provided by police forces across the nation.Hundreds of knives have already been dropped in amnesty bins provided by police forces across the nation.
Hundreds of knives have already been dropped in amnesty bins provided by police forces across the nation.

The action week, called Operation Sceptre, which finished at the weekend, saw officers engaging with the community and businesses in the area to tackle knife crime.

The week saw thirty-two forces from around the UK crack down on the crime.

Mr Guildford told your Chad: “Young people carry knives out of a misguided idea that it makes them feel more safe. Most offenders and victims of knife crime are under 24.

“This is a direct appeal to parents and carers to speak to children and remind them of the consequences of carrying knives.

“Many don’t go out to deliberately harm people, but when knives are carried they are more likely to be used in a split second decision that they will regret for the rest of their lives.”

Throughout the week, officers carried out targeted, intelligence-led stop and search activity.

Mr Guildford said: “We are the only force apart from the Metropolitan Police that has a dedicated knife crime team.

“We have been doing tests, where children try to buy knifes from shops.

“It originally had a 44 per cent failure rate and now has a 25 per cent failure rate.

“We are also educating retailers on the rules on buying knives, which is no sale to under 18s. PCs and PCSOs have gone into schools to raise awareness.”

It is illegal to carry a knife in public without good reason, unless it’s a knife with a folding blade 3 inches long or less.

It is also illegal to carry, buy or sell any type of banned knife, including disguised knives and flick knives.

Under 18s cannot be sold knives in the UK.

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

“We have found people carrying lock knifes and hunting knifes,” said Mr Guildford.

“Household knives have always been an issue as they are easy to access and we are now starting to see them used in recent terrorism attacks in London. We have incidents of knifes being seen reported on a daily basis.

“This is a national issue, the community needs to work together to address it.

The operation was coordinated by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC).