Knife Amnesty Launches In North Wales

Today sees the start of a six-week long knife amnesty campaign across North Wales.

Special red disposal bins will be located in Wrexham police stations, that will allow members of the public to hand in knives without fear of punishment.

North Wales Police are calling on people across the region to give up their potentially lethal weapons in a drive to educate people about the dangers of knives and focus on keeping North Wales a safe place leading up to and over the festive season.

Inspector Julie Sheard from the North Wales Police Community Safety Department said: “Over the last 12 months a knife has been used in just over 1% of all violent crime in North Wales but we remain committed to driving knife crime down even further. This amnesty provides the minority who are still in possession of weapons an opportunity to dispose of them safely.

“Carrying a knife is an offence and you are actually putting yourself in danger of your weapon being used against you. Not only is it illegal, the repercussions can have devastating effects.

She added: “Running such a campaign will allow us to remove knives from circulation, further reducing the risk to the public. Even if it’s only keeping one knife out of the wrong hands on the streets then it’s worthwhile.”

Over the next few weeks North Wales Police’ School Community Police Officers will also be in schools, delivering lessons to raise awareness of the real consequences of carrying a knife and the risks.

The red disposal bins will be located in areas across North Wales, including Mold, Rhyl, Llandudno, Colwyn Bay, Llangefni, Holyhead, Bangor Pwllheli and Porthmadog.

Inspector Sheard added: “We’ve held previous successful knife amnesties in the past and we very much hope this one will be too – this is also a good opportunity for you to get rid of unwanted knives from your kitchen drawers, old blades or any other sharp implements.

“Although knife crime is not generally a problem in North Wales, we did have the high profile case in early October where students from Glyndwr University were randomly assaulted by a man in the Wrexham area.

“With this in the forefront of our minds, it is imperative that we educate people of the possible consequences of carrying a bladed item.”

Those wishing to dispose of unwanted knives or other sharp implements should wrap them in cardboard to take to the stations.

If you know of somebody carrying a knife report it to North Wales Police on 101 or in an emergency always dial 999. Alternatively contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or give information via their anonymous online form – www.crimestoppers-uk.org