Residents in Mansfield, Ashfield and Worksop urged to hand in knives as part of police campaign

Amnesty bins are in place across the county as part of the force’s activity for Sceptre, which started on Monday (19 May).

The amnesty bin offering led to 166 weapons being recovered by police during the previous Sceptre campaign in November 2024.

Chief Inspector Karl Thomas said: “Whether it’s a knife, a sword, or something like a knuckleduster, every weapon we can take off the streets is a positive thing and makes our communities safer.

“It was pleasing to see so many people make use of our amnesty bin offering during the last Sceptre and we want to continue this momentum.

“Tackling knife crime is a force priority all year round, so it is also positive news to see people making use of our amnesty bins all year-round too.”

Chief Inspector Thomas urged more people to ‘do the right thing’ and hand knives in to make our streets safer. “If the main reason for people feeling hesitant about going into a police station to use our amnesty bins is they’re worried about getting into trouble, I can assure them that this will not be the case.

“This initiative is not a trick. We want to take these blades and other offensive weapons off our streets and this amnesty makes that easier and more efficient.”

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows knife crime in Nottinghamshire decreased by five per cent in 2024.

A total of 811 knife-enabled offences were recorded in 2024 compared to 854 in 2023.

The number of knife possession offences increased by 3.1 per cent over the same period.

Throughout the week of action, knife amnesty bins will be situated inside stations, shared services and other locations in:

Mansfield Police Station, Great Central Road, NG18 2HQ

Newark Police Station, Queen's Road, NG24 1LJ

Oxclose Lane Police Station, Bestwood, NG5 6FZ

Radford Road Police Station, Hyson Green, NG7 5GX

Anyone wanting to drop a knife off at one of the force's amnesty bins is asked to package it up safely before transporting it, with suggestions including putting the weapon in a box, or wrapping it in bubble wrap.

For more information visit: Operation Sceptre: Nottinghamshire Police

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