More than 200 knives recovered during week of action in Nottinghamshire

Machetes, samurai swords, flick knives and kitchen blades were all safely disposed of as members of the public took the opportunity to hand over weapons without fear of prosecution.

As well as the amnesty bins, officers conducted 23 knife sweeps at parks and other hotspot locations identified by the force’s neighbourhood teams.

Multiple intelligence-led stop and searches and proactive arrests were also carried out, while a metal detecting knife arch was set up in Handley Arcade in Mansfield by neighbourhood officers.

Officers additionally carried out home visits to educate vulnerable people about the risks that come with carrying a knife.

The force’s knife crime team joined with cadets to conduct 13 test purchase operations at stores.

As in previous years, education was an important theme of the latest Sceptre, which forces across the country took part in.

Schoolchildren were warned about the dangers and devastating consequences of becoming involved with knife crime– with Specialist Schools and Early Intervention Officers (SEIOs) visiting secondary schools across the county to deliver hard-hitting assemblies and drive home the message to never carry a knife.

Hundreds of Year 7 and Year 10 pupils took part in two interactive sessions which covered a variety of topics including quashing misconceptions about why young people carry knives, how to locate and surrender weapons at knife amnesty bins and how to access support.

In Bassetlaw, neighbourhood officers also visited three local schools to deliver awareness sessions for pupils.

Sceptre allowed the force to provide a snapshot of the work carried out all year-round to tackle knife crime across Nottinghamshire.

These efforts have contributed to overall reported knife crime offences falling by five per cent in 2024, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Chief Inspector Karl Thomas, Nottinghamshire Police’s knife crime lead, said: “Knife crime is a key priority for the force and an important part of our work to make the streets as safe as possible is to take knives out of harm’s way.

“So I’d like to thank everyone who made use of our amnesty bin offering to safely dispose of their unwanted knives and offensive weapons during this week of action.

“It was pleasing to see so many people feel comfortable enough to hand over these weapons at police stations.

“We have knife amnesty bins that are available all year-round for the public to utilise without fear of reprisal, so I’d urge people to continue handing them in.

“Sceptre provides all police forces with an opportunity to shine a light on the dangers associated with knife crime, so that hopefully people never take that decision to carry a weapon.

“A lot of work goes on between Nottinghamshire Police and our partners all year-round to tackle knife crime, and Sceptre allows us to offer a glimpse of these efforts.”