During Operation Sceptre ­– a week of action between 13-19 November involving 43 police forces in intensified efforts to crack down on knife-enabled crime and violence – 553 knives were surrendered in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, and 28 knives were removed from circulation in Dorset.

In Hampshire, the surrendered total increased to 637 after weapons sweeps, stop and search, knife arches and direct arrests.

Serious Violence lead for Hampshire Constabulary, Chief Superintendent Clare Jenkins, said: “These figures for surrendered knives and weapons may sound alarming to the public, but I’d like to offer reassurance that we are tackling knife crime with a zero-tolerance attitude, and the education and awareness of the updated law will have had a large influence on this. The surrender bins provide a safe way for our communities to help clear our towns and cities of offensive weapons and the risk of them falling into the wrong hands, assisting us in tackling serious violence by disposing safely of weapons that are illegal and intent on causing serious injury.”

The Offensive Weapons Act has had a recent change in legislation, banning the possession in private of any weapon set out in the Criminal Justice Act 1988.

CS Clare Jenkins said: “The Offensive Weapons Act 2019 introduced tough new measures to strengthen law enforcement’s response to violent crime. The act makes it illegal to possess dangerous weapons in private, including knuckledusters, zombie knives and death star knives, and you will soon have to verify you are over 18 to buy bladed items from the internet.

A full list of the banned offensive weapons can be found online at Selling, buying and carrying knives and weapons – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Tactical lead for knife crime in Hampshire, Inspector Sarah Nicholson spoke about the week: “Op Sceptre week of action is where as a Force we focus the majority of our resources towards intensifying our activities on tackling knife crime and removing weapons off our streets.

“Hampshire and the Isle of Wight upholds a zero-tolerance approach towards offensive weapons and knife crime, and this week enables us to showcase the wider work we do in preventing and protecting our communities through education and early intervention.

“Policing alone will not solve the issue of knife crime. Policing deals with the symptoms and there is always a place for enforcement, we will continue to focus our commitment and priorities on doing what we can, alongside the work our violence reduction partners do in combating serious violence in our towns and cities.

“Taking knives off the streets is another key priority for us, and although the week has finished we will continue to include the deployment of metal-detecting knife arches at different locations, and knife sweeps led by each of the force’s neighbourhood policing teams where necessary and act as a deterrent to knife-related crime.

“Officers will be carrying out visible patrols of violence hotspot areas in your communities, whilst the knife surrender bins will now remain so that people can anonymously dispose of unwanted knives at different police stations and other locations across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight until end of the year.”

A full list of surrender bin locations in Hampshire can be found here Op Sceptre 2023 | Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary

The education and partnership team in Hampshire delivered sessions on knife crime into schools and colleges across the county. For those parents and professionals concerned about knife crime in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, please visit www.safe4me.co.uk for advice, help and support.

In neighbouring Dorset 3,535 students in 19 schools received a knife crime presentation during Op Sceptre’s November week of action. Metal detecting wands were introduced and publicised and 14 arrests were made for knife-related crime.

Temporary chief superintended Heather Dixey of Dorset Police said: “Dorset is one of the safest places in the country to live, but the Force remains proactive in preventing and detecting knife crime.

“An important part of our work, in addition to the enforcement work we do, is prevention. Some young people carry a knife because they think it will make them safer, but carrying a knife can actually make them more vulnerable. We have been very proactive in providing education and engagement opportunities to local schools and discussing these common misconceptions around knife crime in Dorset.

“We will continue our work to remove knives from the streets and encourage people to report any concerns they have about anyone carrying a knife in their community.”

Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner David Sidwick said: “In the intensive week of action to tackle knife crime as part of Operation Sceptre I was proud to see the breadth of work which was taking place across Dorset. From enforcement to education, Dorset Police demonstrated their commitment to driving down instances of knife crime and reducing violent offences through high visibility patrols, knife surrender bins and powerful education.

“I was pleased to see the new knife wands I have funded in use and was impressed by the quality of the Firearms and Knife Education (FAKE) presentation which took place in schools across the county, and moreover to see knives removed from circulation and arrests made in order to prevent crime, is an incredibly positive update to give to our residents and communities.

“However, the responsibility of dealing with knife crime in Dorset goes beyond the work of the police. It is down to all of us – from local authorities and external partners to charities and individuals – to robustly tackle the offences, which can have devastating consequences on families and communities. We owe it to the young people of Dorset to continue our fight to keep our streets safe and free from knives.”

Parents can seek advice about their child’s welfare at: Parent Talk – Support for Parents from Action For Children

Retailers can visit this website for guidance on selling knives: www.nbcc.police.uk/knifeguidance .

Communities and young people are being encouraged to report information about weapon-enabled crime and other offences either by reporting it to police on 101 or by giving that information anonymously through independent charity, Crimestoppers or their under 18s anonymous reporting service, Fearless which can be accessed via Fearless.org or by calling 0800 555 111.