98 weapons handed in and extra patrols in Wisbech during knife amnesty week

A total of 98 weapons were handed in during Cambridgeshire Police’s latest amnesty to tackle knife crime.

Alongside the amnesty, the force has also launched resources for parents and carers and continues to work with schools and young people to talk openly about their concerns and the dangers of escalating conflict with knives.

During the amnesty week, students heard real-life stories from a police safer schools officer, and on court experience days, used role play to act out scenarios and worked alongside a practising magistrate and a crown court judge.

After highlighting these, a further eight schools and one university are now interested in doing similar.

The new way to dispose of weapons, where people could email police and officers could arrange home visits, worked well, and more than a third of amnesty items were handed in this way, including 24 weapons handed in by one man alone in Chatteris.

There were an extra 220 hours of foot patrols in Peterborough, Cambridge and Wisbech during the week, together with knife sweeps in hotspot areas and test purchasing with volunteer police cadets to ensure no knives were sold to those under 18.

A police spokesman said: “We’re working hard to tackle knife crime, but we can’t do it alone. Having one honest conversation with the child or young person in your life could make more difference than you think.”

For more info, advice and support around knife crime, see the force’s dedicated web pages.