Last week, Thames Valley Police conducted a series of activities in support of Operation Sceptre, the national week of action to challenge and reduce the threat of knife crime.
Operation Sceptre ran from Monday 26 April to Sunday 2 May. Knife amnesty bins were placed into 11 police stations across the Thames Valley - including Aylesbury and High Wycombe - allowing members of the public to dispose of unwanted knives safely, in order to prevent them from finding their way onto the streets.
Overall, a total of over 250 knives and bladed articles were handed in throughout the week.
120 blades were recovered in Bucks, with 96 collected in Berkshire and 44 over the boarder in Oxfordshire.
Officers across the force also carried out a number of other proactive activities in an effort to tackle knife crime, which included 135 inputs to schools by officers and working in partnership with the Thames Valley Violence Reduction Unit to launch our PC Ben initiative.
In addition, 85 test purchase operations were also carried out in partnership with Trading Standards, cadets and police volunteers at retailers across the force as well as officers attending community meetings and conducting high visibility patrols.
Assistant Chief Constable Christian Bunt, force lead for Operation Sceptre, said: “Thames Valley Police is wholly committed to reducing the threat of knife crime within our communities.
“Operation Sceptre is a national week of action that highlights our work to tackle this crime type, however it is important to stress that our work continues beyond this week of action.
“The public have an important part to play also in helping to keep knives off our streets. They can help us as additional eyes and ears in our fight against serious violence and knife crime. By making a report to us you could help save a life.”
If you are worried that someone you know is using violence or is carrying a knife, you can report it to the police. They can then take the necessary steps to safeguard them and identify those responsible.
If you need to report a knife related crime to police, report it online via TVP's website, call 101 or dial 999 in an emergency if there is an immediate danger to life.
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